Synthesis, capping and dispersion of nanocrystals

ABSTRACT

Preparation of semiconductor nanocrystals and their dispersions in solvents and other media is described. The nanocrystals described herein have small (1-10 nm) particle size with minimal aggregation and can be synthesized with high yield. The capping agents on the as-synthesized nanocrystals as well as nanocrystals which have undergone cap exchange reactions result in the formation of stable suspensions in polar and nonpolar solvents which may then result in the formation of high quality nanocomposite films.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 14/551,720, filed Nov.24, 2014 (which published as US 2015/0203989 A1) (allowed), which is acontinuation of application Ser. No. 13/881,891 (issued as U.S. Pat. No.8,920,675), filed Apr. 26, 2013, which is a U.S. national phase ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2011/057822, filed 26 Oct. 2011,which designated the U.S. and claims the benefit of ProvisionalApplication No. 61/407,063, filed 27 Oct. 2010; and InternationalApplication No. PCT/US2011/057822 is a continuation-in-part ofapplication Ser. No. 13/064,905, filed 25 Apr. 2011 (issued as U.S. Pat.No. 8,592,511); the entire contents of each of which are herebyincorporated by reference.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This work was supported in part by Department of Commerce CooperativeAgreement Nos. 70NANB7H7014 and 70NANB10H012 and the National ScienceFoundation grant no. 0724417.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Preparation of capped colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals and theirdispersions in polymeric solutions and films are described herein. Thecolloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are highly monodisperse withnanocrystal size between 1-10 nm. Nanocomposites having a high loadingdensity of uniformly dispersed capped semiconductor nanocrystalsincorporated therein may be formed with these nanocrystals. Suspensionsof nanocrystals may be formed in various solvents and nanocompositesmade of same may be made optically transparent with very little or noscattering.

Nanocrystals are single crystals of a material in which at least onedimension of the crystal is less than 1 micron in size. Nanocrystals mayeither retain the optical, mechanical, and physical properties of theirbulk counterparts or display properties which are quite different.Nanocrystals can be made by a wide variety of methods, some of whichinclude: liquid synthesis, solvothermal synthesis, vapor phasesynthesis, aerosol synthesis, pyrolysis, flame pyrolysis, laserpyrolysis, ball-milling, and laser ablation.

Nanocrystals can be dispersed into a variety of media or combination ofmedia, including, but not limited to: liquids, gels, glasses, polymersand solids. The dispersed nanocrystals may impart all or some of theproperties of the nanocrystals upon the dispersion or may give thedispersion properties which are different from any of the individualcomponents. The quality of the dispersion created between thenanocrystals and the media can have a large effect on the properties ofthe final dispersion. The quality of the dispersion of the nanocrystalsin a medium can be described as being governed by complex interactionsbetween a set of parameters, which include, but are not limited to: thechemistry of the nanocrystal surface (or the effective nanocrystalsurface), the size and shape of the nanocrystals, the physicalproperties of the nanocrystals, the chemistry of the dispersion media,and the physical properties of the dispersion media. Well-dispersednanocrystals can be defined as nanocrystals which are uniformlydistributed throughout the media with a minimal amount of nanocrystalaggregates present. If the nanocrystals are not well-dispersed in themedium, the optical, mechanical, and physical properties of thenanocrystals may be altered or the properties of the media may beadversely affected.

Nanocomposites are nanocrystal dispersions composed of nanocrystalsdispersed in a matrix including: polymers, ceramics and glasses.Nanocomposites can be made by the mixing of nanocrystals, either inpowder form or already dispersed in another media, with precursorcomponents of the matrix. A non-exhaustive list of potential matrixcomponents for use in the formation of nanocomposites includes:monomers, oligomers, polymers, pre-polymeric resins, ceramics,pre-ceramics and glasses. Nanocomposites can be considered to be anextension of the well-known field of composites, where the micron-sized,or larger, fillers used in composites have been replaced bynanocrystals. In both composites and nanocomposites it may be possibleto modify the optical, mechanical, and physical properties of thenanocomposites with the filler materials, but the reduced size of thefillers used in nanocomposites may result in relatively fewer, or lessintense, detrimental effects due to the inclusion of a filler into thematrix. A list of these potentially detrimental effects which may happento the composite include: reduced structural integrity, reducedmechanical strength, reduced mechanical stability, reduced flexibility,reduced optical transparency, and reduced thermal stability. To morefully realize the potential of using nanocrystals as replacements formicron size, or larger, fillers, the nanocrystals need to be able to bewell-dispersed in the matrix. This is due to the fact that aggregatednanocrystals in the composite act as detrimentally as, or worse than,fillers of the size of the aggregates. Thus a composite made of heavilyaggregated 5 nm particles, where the size of the aggregates are greaterthan 1 micron in all dimensions may not behave as a nanocomposite.

Typical routes for the manufacture of nanocomposites often result in adistribution of nanocrystals in the media that cannot be described aswell-dispersed. The distribution of the nanocrystals is oftennon-uniform and contains large amounts of aggregates. One key toproducing well-dispersed nanocomposites is to use nanocrystals which arenot aggregated before the start of mixing with the matrix or media.

There are two main types of aggregates that are often discussed inliterature. Hard aggregates are clusters of nanocrystals, in which thenanocrystals are relatively strongly bound to each other. Hardaggregates may be the result of particles that have come into contactduring formation or after formation but while the materials are still atelevated temperatures. The other type of aggregates, soft aggregates, isusually formed after synthesis, or at lower temperatures. Theconventional wisdom is that soft aggregates can be broken apart easilyduring processing and can thus be made to be well-dispersed, whereashard aggregates cannot be broken apart without great difficulty andtherefore are not suitable sources of well-dispersed nanocrystals. Inorder to form dispersions in which the nanocrystals are well dispersed,it is preferable to avoid both types of aggregation.

Nanocrystal aggregation is controlled by the surface chemistry (orchemistry of the effective surface) of the nanocrystals. In adispersion, the inter-particle forces (such as electrostatic forces, vander Waals forces and entropic forces) between the surfaces of thenanocrystals result in a tendency to form aggregates. Theseinter-particle forces are particularly important in nanocrystals becauseof the large surface to volume ratio for these particles. In order toavoid aggregation in dispersion it is desirable for the surfaces of thenanocrystals to be passivated (or stabilized). One method that may beused to passivate the surface of the nanocrystal involves theintroduction of ligand ions or molecules. These ligands, which are alsocalled capping agents or caps, are added to the surface of thenanocrystals and thus create a new effective surface of thenanocrystals. This effective surface is the surface of the shell createdby the complete or partial surface coverage with ligands. The chemistryof this effective surface can be tailored in order to create a chemicalenvironment, distinct from the actual or initial surface of thenanocrystal, which facilitates dispersion while preventing or reducingaggregation. These passivating ligands can help prevent aggregation in avariety of ways. Electrostatic passivation, utilizing like charges torepulse the nanocrystals, and steric passivation, using bulky moleculesto physically keep the nanocrystal surfaces apart, are two examples ofsurface passivation methods.

Most typical nanocrystal synthetic methods, such as aerosol synthesis,pyrolysis, flame pyrolysis, laser pyrolysis, ball-milling, and laserablation, produce nanocrystals which have no surface passivation of thetypes described herein. In fact, many of these methods producenanocrystals that are clustered together as hard aggregates. Even if thesynthesis does not result in aggregated nanocrystals, metal oxidenanocrystals without surface passivation tend toward aggregation becauseof inter-particle forces.

The liquid synthesis of metal oxide colloidal nanocrystals is a methodof producing nanocrystals which are, at least partially, surfacepassivated during the synthesis. The liquid synthesis is performed insolvent with or without the presence of capping agents. The nanocrystalsare protected against aggregation, at least partially, during thesynthesis and afterwards, by capping agents. In cases where thesynthesis is carried out in a coordinating solvent, the solventmolecules, or products thereof, may act as the capping agent topassivate the surface. After liquid synthesis, the nanocrystals areprotected from forming aggregates by partial or total coverage of thenanocrystals with solvent(s), product(s) of the solvent(s), addedcapping agent(s), and/or combination thereof.

After synthesis of nanocrystals by liquid synthesis, the as-made surfacepassivation can be modified by a process known as a cap exchange orligand exchange reaction in which one ligand or capping agent is atleast partially replaced by a different one. In this process thenanocrystals are usually dispersed in a solvent along with the desiredcapping agent. In some instances the temperature of the suspension maybe elevated to further drive the exchange process. As a result of thecap exchange, either the new capping agent is added to some fraction ofthe nanocrystal surface or a fraction of the previous surfacepassivation agents are replaced by the new capping agent, or somecombination thereof. The new capping agent may be chosen in order toyield chemical compatibility between the effective nanocrystal surfaceand the solvent, or other media, chosen for the final dispersion orapplication.

As-synthesized nanocrystals, which have been produced by other methodsand do not have surface passivation, can also be exposed to cappingagents. While this also may result in some fraction of the surface ofthe nanocrystals being covered by the capping agents, this process maynot be able to break apart any aggregates which will have formedpreviously, including both hard and soft aggregates. These aggregates ofoxide nanocrystals are distinct from very weakly bound agglomerates ofsurface passivated nanocrystals where the passivation agents may createa porous spacer between the nanocrystals. In the weakly boundagglomerates, the inter-nanocrystal spacer layers provided by surfacepassivation are important because many of the surface to surface forceswhich cause aggregation are short range interactions, which can bereduced by the increased nanocrystal separation. However, in the absenceof surface passivation, once the nanocrystal surfaces have been broughttogether, such as in the formation of hard aggregates, the short rangeforces dominate and it is difficult to separate the nanocrystals again.

Agglomerates of surface passivated nanocrystals, which can be broken up,may form during various points in the production of a dispersion,including during the washing of the particles, and the drying ofpowders. One of the advantages of using liquid synthesis to producecolloidal nanocrystals is that surface passivation of the as-synthesizednanocrystals can be used to prevent or reduce both hard and softaggregates from forming during all stages of nanocrystal processing fromthe synthesis, to post-synthetic processing, to formation of the finalhigh quality dispersion.

SUMMARY

In order to achieve higher quality nanocomposites, nanocrystal particlesize should advantageously be less than 10 nm in at least one dimension,with preferably a very narrow particle size distribution, and furtherwith specific particle shape (rod, spherical, etc). In addition, thesurface chemistry of the nanocrystal is advantageously well passivated,preventing or reducing aggregation, and increasing or enhancingcompatibility with the solvent(s) and/or the matrix material, andthereby allowing or enhancing dispersion of the nanocrystals into ananocomposite or other substrate containing same.

Nanocrystals of the present disclosure will also be recognized in theart as including, for example, nanoparticles, quantum dots and colloidalparticles and can include particles that are crystalline and/oramorphous with sizes ranging from a few hundred nanometers down to 1 nmor less. Due to their small size, nanocrystals can possess dramaticallydifferent physical properties compared to bulk forms of similarmaterials, due, for example, to the quantum effect and/or a greaterarea/volume ratio. Nanocrystals of the present disclosure may be usefulin, for example, applications ranging from metallurgy to chemicalsensors, and industries ranging from pharmaceuticals to paints andcoatings to cosmetics. Microelectronic and optical applications are alsocontemplated.

Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are chemically synthesized, on thenanometer scale with ligands or capping agents on the surface of thenanocrystals to afford both dispersibility and stability in solution. Ina basic chemical synthetic route, the precursors of the semiconductornanocrystals react or decompose in the presence of a stabilizing organiccapping agent or a solvent. Varying the size of the nanocrystals can beachieved by changing the reaction time or temperature profile, oradjusting the sequence of precursor addition, or varying theconcentrations of chemical precursors, or varying the ratios ofconcentrations of chemical precursors, and/or varying the cappingagents.

The chemistry of the capping agent effects and/or controls several ofthe system parameters in the manufacture of the nanocrystals and/or thenanocomposites, such as the growth rate, shape, and dispersibility ofthe nanocrystals in a variety of solvents and solids, and even theexcited state lifetimes of charge carriers in the nanocrystals. Theflexibility of the resulting effects of this chemical synthesis isdemonstrated by the fact that often one capping agent is chosen for itsgrowth control properties and is later substituted out, either partiallyor fully, after synthesis for a different capping agent. Thissubstitution may be carried out for a variety of reasons, including, butnot limited to: in order to provide a nanocrystal/media interface moresuitable to the given application or to modify the optical properties ofthe nanocrystal.

Synthetic methods for producing colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals ofzinc oxide (ZnO), yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃), hafnium oxide (HfO₂), andzirconium oxide (ZrO₂), hafnium-zirconium oxide [HfO₂:ZrO₂] andtitanium-zirconium oxide [TiO₂:ZrO₂], as well as capping andcap-exchange of these nanocrystals and dispersion of these materials insolvents and polymers and the creation of nanocomposites are describedherein.

Functionalized organosilanes are a common class of organic compoundsused to populate the surface of a nanocrystalline oxide material ascapping agents. These organosilanes are typically composed of head andtail components. The head of a functionalized organosilane is typicallyeither a trialkoxysilane group or a trichlorosilane group, although bi-and mono-substituted alkoxy and chloro silane are possible. The headanchors to the surface of the oxide through a covalent bond with thehydroxide groups (—OH) or —OR group wherein R is an alkyl or aryl group,present at the surface, eliminating an alcohol, alkyl chloride, water orHCl as a by-product. The tails of a functionalized organosilane caninclude one or more of an alkyl chains of varying lengths, aryl groups,or ether groups, amines, thiols, or carboxylic acid.

FIG. 1 show an exemplary attachment of an organosilane to a nanocrystalsurface through an alcohol elimination reaction. In this reaction, thenanocrystals with a polar surface containing —OH groups (101) react withan organosilane (102) to form the organosilane capped nanocrystals(103).

Other classes of organic compounds used as capping agents to passivatethe surface of an oxide material include organocarboxylic acids andorganoalcohols. The head of organocarboxylic acids is a carboxylic acid(—COOH) group and organoalcohols is an —OH group. The head anchors tothe surface of the oxide through a covalent bond with the hydroxidegroups (—OH) or —OR (R=alkyl or aryl) group present at the surface,eliminating an alcohol, or water as a by-product. The tails of afunctionalized organocarboxylic acids and organoalcohols can be composedof alkyl chains of a variety of lengths, aryl groups, ether groups,amines, thiols, or carboxylic acids.

The use of a capping agent such as functionalized organosilanes,alcohols or carboxylic acids on colloidal nanocrystals impart a numberof desired characteristics, such as for example, controlling theircompatibility to various dispersing solvents, such as polar or non-polarmedia, which can thereby reduce nanocrystal aggregation.

The present disclosure further includes methods for the surfacemodification of nanocrystals with organosilanes, organoalcohols and/ororganocarboxylic acids. The method includes depositing capping agentsduring the synthesis of the nanocrystals or through ligand exchange ofat least part of the capping agent originally present on the nanocrystalwith a second one after the synthesis. These reactions can be performedunder ambient, heated, and/or high temperature/high pressure conditions.

The present disclosure further includes a nanocomposite materialcontaining a matrix and nanocrystals, which have been, for example,mixed, stirred, or dispersed therein. Nanocomposites according to thepresent disclosure may be fabricated by, for example, melt blending, insitu polymerization, and/or solvent mixing of the nanocrystals and thematrix materials or precursors of the matrix.

In melt blending, nanocrystals are mixed with a polymer in its moltenstate with the assistance of mechanical forces. In situ polymerizationinvolves mixing nanocrystals with monomer(s) which are then polymerizedto form a composite. Solvent mixing involves the use of solvent(s) todisperse both the nanocrystals and the polymer whereby uniformdispersion of the polymer and nanocrystals is achieved by removal of thesolvent.

The present disclosure includes preparation methods for nanocompositematerials which include solvent mixing of polymers, or polymerprecursors, with nanocrystals capped with a functionalizedorganosilanes, organoacids or organoalcohols; and in situ polymerizationof capped nanocrystals and monomers of polymers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates the attachment of an organosilane to a nanocrystalsurface through alcohol elimination.

FIG. 2 shows, in a block diagram, process steps of the presentdisclosure for the formation of a nanocomposite material describedherein.

FIG. 3 exemplifies a silane capped colloidal semiconductor nanocrystalsin a polymeric film.

FIG. 4 shows the TEM image of nanocrystals synthesized from zirconiumbutoxide.

FIG. 5 shows the XRD patterns of ZrO₂ nanocrystals synthesized fromzirconium propoxide by removing 1-propanol before, during or after thereaction.

FIG. 6A shows the TEM images of ZrO2 nanocrystals synthesized fromzirconium propoxide by removing 1-propanol before the reaction.

FIG. 6B shows the TEM images of ZrO2 nanocrystals synthesized fromzirconium propoxide by removing 1-propanol after the reaction.

FIG. 7A shows the TEM images of the nanocrystals obtained from 1:1 molarratio of precursor to water in the reaction mixture.

FIG. 7B shows the TEM images of the nanocrystals obtained from 1:2 molarratio of precursor to water in the reaction mixture.

FIG. 70 shows the TEM images of the nanocrystals obtained from 1:3 molarratio of precursor to water in the reaction mixture.

FIG. 7D shows the TEM images of the nanocrystals obtained from 1:4 molarratio of precursor to water in the reaction mixture.

FIG. 8 shows the TEM image of the as-synthesized HfO₂ nanocrystals withrice-like morphology.

FIG. 9 shows a TEM image of the 2-5 nm HfO₂ nanocrystal.

FIG. 10 shows a TEM image of ZnO nanocrystals.

FIG. 11 shows the UV-Vis spectra of a ZnO/SOG nanocomposite spin coatedfilms.

FIG. 12 shows the TEM images of a ZnO/PMMA nanocomposite.

FIG. 13 shows the TEM images of a HfO₂/SOG nanocomposite.

FIG. 14 shows surface roughness of a ZrO₂ film as measured by AFM.

FIG. 15 shows the XRD pattern of HfO₂ nanocrystals.

FIG. 16 shows a TEM image of capped HfO₂ nanocrystals.

FIG. 17 shows the DLS plot of capped HfO₂ nanocrystals dispersed inPGMEA.

FIG. 18 shows the TGA of capped HfO₂ nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA.

FIG. 19 UV-Vis spectrum of 10 wt % capped HfO₂ nanocrystals dispersed inPGMEA.

FIG. 20 shows the GC plot of capped HfO₂ nanocrystals dispersed inPGMEA.

FIG. 21 shows the XRD pattern of ZrO₂ nanocrystals.

FIG. 22 shows a TEM image of ZrO₂ nanocrystals.

FIG. 23 shows the DLS plot of 5 wt % capped ZrO₂ nanocrystals dispersedin PGMEA.

FIG. 24 shows the TGA plot capped ZrO₂ nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA.

FIG. 25 shows the UV-Vis spectrum of 52.4 wt % capped ZrO₂ nanocrystalsdispersed in PGMEA.

FIG. 26 shows the GC plot capped ZrO₂ nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA.

FIG. 27 shows a TEM image of approximately spherical capped ZrO₂nanocrystals dispersed in an acrylic polymer at 35 wt % loading.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The synthetic methods to prepare high quality semiconductor metal oxidenanocrystals described herein include synthetic methods wherein aprecursor of the metal oxide is mixed or dissolved in at least onesolvent and allowed to react for a certain period of time. The use ofpressure or heating may be necessary in some cases.

At least in the case of ZrO₂ and HfO₂ nanocrystal syntheses, addition ofwater into the solvent surprisingly results in smaller particles thanreactions carried out without addition of water, as described in theexamples. By controlling the amount of water added to the solvent theaverage particle size of the nanocrystals can be controlled.

The precursors of the metal oxides may be one or more of alkoxides, suchas: zirconium ethoxide (Zr(OCH₂CH₃)₄), zirconium n-propoxide(Zr(OCH₂CH₂CH₃)₄), zirconium isopropoxide (Zr(OCH(CH₃)₂)₄), zirconiumn-butoxide (Zr(OCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃)₄), zirconium t-butoxide (Zr(OC(CH₃)₃)₄),hafnium ethoxide (Hf(OCH₂CH₃)₄), hafnium n-propoxide (Hf(OCH₂CH₂CH₃)₄),hafnium isopropoxide (Hf(OCH(CH₃)₂)₄), hafnium butoxide(Hf(OCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃)₄), hafnium t-butoxide (Hf(OC(CH₃)₃)₄), titaniumethoxide (Ti(OCH₂CH₃)₄), titanium n-propoxide (TROCH₂CH₂CH₃)₄), titaniumisopropoxide (TROCH(CH₃)₂)₄), titanium t-butoxide (Zr(OC(CH₃)₃)₄),titanium n-butoxide (TROCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃)₄), zinc ethoxide (Zn(OCH₂CH₃)₂),zinc n-propoxide (Zn(OCH₂CH₂CH₃)₂), zinc isopropoxide (Zr(OCH(CH₃)₂)₂),zinc butoxide (Zn(OCH₂CH₂CH₂CH₃)₂); acetates or acetylacetonates, suchas, zirconium acetate (Zr(OOCCH₃)₄), zirconium acetylacetonate(Zr(CH₃COCHCOCH₃)₄), zinc acetate (Zn(OOCCH₃)₂), zinc acetylacetonate(Zn(CH₃COCHCOCH₃)₂), hafnium acetate (Hf(OOCCH₃)₄); halides such aszirconium chloride (ZrCl₄), zirconium fluoride (ZrF₄), zirconium iodide(ZrI₄), zirconium bromide (ZrBr₄), hafnium bromide (HfBr₄), hafniumchloride (HfCl₄), hafnium iodide (HfI₄), titanium chloride (TiCl₄),titanium bromide (TiBr₄), titanium iodide (TiI₄), titanium fluoride(TiF₄), zinc chloride (ZnCl₂), zinc bromide (ZnBr₂), zinc iodide (ZnI₂),zinc fluoride (ZnF₂) or other organometallic compounds.

Solvents useful in the present disclosure include benzyl alcohol,phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol,water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methylether acetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP),acetone, tetrahydrofuran, cyclic ketones and mixtures thereof.

The surface of nanocrystals of the present disclosure are optionallycapped with at least one capping agent such as organosilane,organoalcohol or organocarboxylic acid. Examples of organosilanes of thepresent disclosure include, n-propyltrimethoxysilane,n-propyltriethoxysilane, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxy(triethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane.

Examples of organoalcohols of the present disclosure include, heptanol,hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol,oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycolmonomethyl ether.

Examples of organocarboxylic acids of the present disclosure include,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid.

Capped colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals of the present disclosureare, optionally, removed from and re-dispersed into solvents, such as,water, tetrahydrofuran, ethanol, methanol, acetonitrile, PGMEA, PGPE,PGME, cyclic ketones, ethyl lactate, acetone, naphtha, hexane, heptane,toluene or a mixture thereof.

Semiconductor nanocrystals can be added into a matrix to form ananocomposite. The matrix material of the present disclosure include,poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS), poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA), celluloid, cellulose acetate, poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate)(EVA), poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) (EVOH), fluoroplastics,polyacrylates (Acrylic), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyamide (PA orNylon), polyamide-imide (PAI), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polybutadiene(PBD), polybutylene (PB), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),polycaprolactone (PCL), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycyclohexylene dimethyleneterephthalate (PCT), polycarbonate (PC), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs),polyketone (PK), polyester, polyethylene (PE), polyetheretherketone(PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), polyetherimide (PEI),polyethersulfone (PES), polyethylenechlorinates (PEC), polyimide (PI),polylactic acid (PLA), polymethylpentene (PMP), polyphenylene oxide(PPO), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyphthalamide (PPA), polypropylene(PP), polystyrene (PS), polysulfone (PSU), polytrimethyleneterephthalate (PTT), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl acetate (PVA),polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC),poly(styrene-acrylonitrile) (SAN); a spin-on-glass (SOG) polymer, suchas: Siloxane-spin-on polymers in Ethanol, Propylene Glycol Methyl EtherAcetate (PGMEA), isopropyl alcohol or mixture of these solvents, JSRMicro topcoat (NFC TCX 014 in 4-methyl-2-pentanol), JSR Microphotoresist (ARF 1682J-19), and silicones.

The present disclosure provides a method of making nanocrystalsincluding dissolving precursors of said nanocrystals in at least onesolvent to produce a solution, optionally at least one of heating andincreasing pressure of said solution, and reacting the precursors or theprecursors and the at least one solvent of the solution to form thenanocrystals.

The nanocrystals may be capped with at least one capping agent toincrease the solubility or dispersibility of the nanocrystals in atleast one solvent or other media, or some combination of solvent andother media.

In the present disclosure capping molecules consist of solvent groups orprecursor groups. In the present disclosure, capping molecules areseparate from capping agents. Nanocrystals are capped with cappingagents through a cap-exchange process where the capping agents mayreplace some of the solvent and/or precursor groups with some of thesolvent and/or precursor groups remaining on the surface. These solventand/or precursor groups may be attached to the surface of thenanocrystals during the nanocrystal synthesis. In the method of thedisclosure, nanocrystals may be capped with at least one agent which mayinclude at least one organosilane, organoalcohol or organocarboxylicacid. These capping agents may impart uniform dispersion of thenanocrystals in different media such as hydrophobic or hydrophilic mediaby creating an effective nanocrystal surface which is formed by the fullor partial shell of capping agents whose tail groups have a polaritycompatible with the media.

The capping method of the present disclosure may including capping ofthe nanocrystals with the at least one capping agent in the solution,prior to, during, or after said reacting the precursors. The methods ofthe present disclosure further include purifying and/or separating thenanocrystals prior to, or after, the capping method of the presentdisclosure.

The method of the disclosure includes capping the as-synthesized,purified, and/or separated nanocrystals with at least one capping agentto produce at least partially capped nanocrystals. The at leastpartially purified capped nanocrystals may be further purified and/orseparated according to methods of the present disclosure. Nanocrystalsand capped nanocrystals may be dispersed in a material, includingsolvent, polymer, or some combination thereof in methods of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram exemplifying formation of acolloidal suspension. In the exemplified method, nanocrystals aresynthesized (101), capped or cap exchanged with at least one cappingagent (102), purified (103) and mixed with solvents or polymer solutions(104).

The present disclosure further includes illustrative non-limitingexemplary methods of exchanging, fully or partially, the pre-existingorganic moieties or other capping agents present on the nanocrystalsurface resulting from the synthesis of the nanocrystals or otherprevious cap exchange reactions with functionalized organosilanes,organoalcohols and organocarboxylic acids in a cap exchange reaction.

Functionalized capping agents are covalently bonded to colloidalsemiconductor nanocrystals according to an aspect of the presentdisclosure during synthesis of the colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal.

Functionalized capping agents are optionally covalently bonded tosemiconductors in the present disclosure by removing pre-existingorganic moieties from the surface of semiconductor nanocrystals with anacid and then covalently bonding the functionalized capping agents tothe surface of the semiconductor nanocrystals. Examples of acids toremove pre-existing organic moieties include, for example, strong acids(e.g., HCl, HNO₃, and/or H₂SO₄), weak acids (e.g., H₃PO₄), and/ororganic acids (e.g., acetic acid).

Alternatively, nanocrystals are functionalized with capping agentswithout forming covalent bonds.

The present disclosure includes nanocrystals and at least partiallycapped nanocrystals made by methods described herein.

Methods of the present disclosure further includes methods of forming afilm or coating including dispersing the nanocrystals or at leastpartially capped nanocrystals of the present disclosure in a furthermaterial to form a dispersion, and applying the dispersion to a surface.The applying methods may include spin coating, spraying, dipping, screenprinting, rolling, painting, printing, ink jet printing, depositing byevaporation and/or vapor deposition.

Methods of the present disclosure include forming a nanocomposite whichincludes combining the nanocrystals or the at least partially cappednanocrystals of the present disclosure with a further material andforming the nanocomposite. FIG. 3 is an exemplary picture ofnanocrystals (102) capped with a capping agent (101) dispersed in apolymer matrix (103).

Methods of the present disclosure include forming a nanocomposite by,for example, curing, polymerization, laminating, extrusion, injectionmolding, mold casting, spin coating, dip coating, brushing, spraying,and/or printing.

The present disclosure further includes methods of forming homogeneousmixtures of the components of a nanocomposite with a variety ofdifferent methods, before assembling the components into the finalcomposite material suitable for desired applications.

The nanocrystals or at least partially capped nanocrystals of thepresent disclosure may be formed from zinc oxide, hafnium oxide,zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, hafnium-zirconium oxide,yttrium oxide or other semiconductor material.

Nanocrystals and products of the present disclosure may be characterizedand described by any one of or a combination of Powder X-ray DiffractionSpectroscopy (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), DynamicLight Scattering (DLS), UV-Vis Spectrophotometer (UV-Vis), OpticalDensity (OD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Gas Chromatography (GC),and FT/IR Spectroscopy (FTIR).

One common technique to characterize the crystal structure ofnanocrystals is Powder X-ray Diffraction Spectroscopy (XRD). The XRDtechniques are based on collecting the scattered intensity of an X-raybeam hitting a sample as a function of incident and scattered angle. Atypical XRD pattern gives the intensity of scattered X-Ray beam as afunction of angle. Each peak in the XRD pattern corresponds to a set ofcrystal planes, and every material has its own set of peaks. Therelative height and the shape of a peak often indicate the crystallinityof the corresponding crystal planes. For nanocrystals, peaks that arelocated close together, may not be distinguishable due to the fact thatthe small nanocrystals have broader diffraction lines when compared tobulk samples. There are a variety of XRD spectrometers available, theyare all based on the same principle and when operated properly, theresults are interchangeable. The model that was specifically used toacquire the data in this disclosure is a Rigaku MiniFlex II TabletopXRD.

One common technique to characterize the crystal structure, size, sizedistribution and aspect ratio of nanocrystals is Transmission ElectronMicroscopy (TEM). TEM works by passing an electron beam through a thinsample to form an image of the area covered by the electron beam withmagnification high enough to observe the lattice structure of a crystal.For a nanocrystal dispersion, the measurement sample is prepared bydrying up the dispersion with proper concentration on a specially mademesh grid; while for nanocomposites, the sample is prepared bymicrotoming the nanocomposite to form an ultrathin slice or by spin ordip coating a thin layer on a grid. The crystal quality of thenanocrystals can be measured by the electron diffraction pattern and thesize and shape of the nanocrystals can be observed. By measuring thesize of every nanocrystal in an image of wide field of view, or multipleimages of a same sample at different location, often with the help ofimage processing software, the histogram of the size distribution of thenanocrystals can be obtained. There are a variety of TEM microscopesavailable, they are all based on similar principles and when operatedproperly, the results are interchangeable. The models that werespecifically used to acquire the data in this disclosure are Jeol 2100FField Emission Transmission Electron Microscope (FE-TEM) and a JEM 2100LaB6 TEM.

In this disclosure, the aspect ratio is defined as the ratio between thelargest dimension and the smallest dimension. For example, for a 6 nm by5 nm by 2 nm rectangular solid, the aspect ratio is 3:1.

One common technique to characterize the size and size distribution ofnanocrystals in dispersion is Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS). DLSusually measures nanocrystals dispersed in a liquid transparent to themeasuring wavelength. In this technique, the liquid sample with properconcentration is kept in a plastic, glass, or fused silica cuvette, alaser beam is scattered off the liquid sample, and the time dependenceof the scattered laser light, which is a result of the Brownian motionof the nanocrystals, is measured and the size and size distribution ofthe nanocrystal can be calculated. The result is usually the sizedistribution of the nanocrystals with equivalent diameter as the x-axis,the y-axis can represent scattering intensity, the volume of thescattering nanocrystals, or the number of scattering nanocrystals. Themeasured size often includes the size of the nanocrystals and the sizeof the capping agent and/or solvent group and/or precursor group alongwith a thin layer of solvent (solvent shell), therefore the actualnanocrystal size is often smaller than measured by DLS. In the presentdisclosure, except where noted, all references to nanocrystal size andsize distributions refer to the actual nanocrystal size and not thenanocrystal size plus capping agent and/or solvent group and/orprecursor group or nanocrystal plus capping agent and/or solvent groupand/or precursor group plus solvent shell. There are a variety of DLSspectrometers available, each vendor often develops its own proprietarymethodology and algorithm, the results may not be interchangeable, themodels that are specifically used to acquire the data in this disclosureis a Malvern Zetasizer Nano S DLS.

The nanocrystals in this disclosure as measured by DLS or TEM have ahistogram or distribution function with a single peak, i.e., mode, andthe variation of size can be characterized by the Full-Width at theHalf-Maximum (FWHM) or Half-Width at the Half-Maximum (HWHM).

Often nanocrystal size distributions can be described or resemble anormal, lognormal, or Lorentzian distribution.

Normal Distribution:

${f(r)} = {\frac{1}{\sigma \sqrt{2\pi}}{\exp \left\lbrack {- \frac{\left( {r - r_{0}} \right)^{2}}{2\sigma^{2}}} \right\rbrack}}$

where r₀ is the mean nanocrystal size, and a is the standard deviation.

Lognormal distribution:

${f(r)} = {\frac{1}{r\mspace{14mu} \ln \mspace{14mu} \sigma \sqrt{2\pi}}{\exp \left\lbrack {- \frac{\left( {{\ln \mspace{14mu} r} - {\ln \mspace{14mu} r_{0}}} \right)^{2}}{2\left( {\ln \mspace{14mu} \sigma} \right)^{2}}} \right\rbrack}}$

where r₀ is the geometric mean nanocrystal size, and a is the geometricstandard deviation.

Lorentzian Distribution:

${f(r)} = {\frac{1}{\pi}\left\lbrack {- \frac{\gamma}{\left( {r - r_{0}} \right)^{2} + \gamma^{2}}} \right\rbrack}$

where r₀ is the median nanocrystal size and the mode of thedistribution, and y is the Half-Width at the Half-Maximum (HWHM) of thedistribution.

One common technique to characterize optical transmittance andabsorptance of nanocrystals dispersion and in a polymer matrix is UV-VisSpectrophotometer (UV-Vis). The UV-Vis technique measures thetransmitted light vs. the incident light of a sample in the 200 nm-900nm wavelength range.

The transmittance of a sample at a given wavelength is defined as:

$T = \frac{I}{I_{0}}$

where I is the transmitted light intensity and I₀ is the incident lightintensity, both at the same wavelength.

The absorptance of a sample at a given wavelength is defined as:

$A = \frac{I_{0} - I}{I_{0}}$

The absorbance of a sample, i.e., Optical Density (OD), at a givenwavelength is defined as:

${OD} = {{- \log_{10}}\frac{I}{I_{0}}}$

Often a reference sample is used to remove the effects from othermaterials in the sample.

For thin film samples, often there are multiple reflections involved,modeling and algorithm may be applied to extract the actualtransmittance, absorptance, and absorbance.

To measure nanocrystal in dispersion, the dispersion is usually kept ina plastic, glass, or fused-silica cuvette with 10 mm optical path. Thesample is measured against a reference, which comprises the same solventused in the dispersion kept in the same or same type of cuvette toremove the effects from the cuvette and solvent. To measure nanocrystalpolymer nanocomposite, the nanocomposite is dispersed in a solvent orsolvent mixtures and spin-cast on a glass or a fused-silica wafer toform a uniform thin film, the sample may be measured against areference, which comprises the same wafer and/or the same polymerdissolved in the same solvent and spin-cast on said wafer with samethickness to remove the effects from the wafer and polymer. Modeling andalgorithms may be applied to extract the exact transmittance,absorptance, and absorbance of the nanocomposite.

There are a variety of UV-Vis spectrometers available, they are allbased on the same principle and when operated properly, the results areinterchangeable. The model that was specifically used to acquire thedata in this disclosure is a Perkin Elmer Lambda 850.

One common technique to characterize the loading level of nanocrystaldispersions and nanocomposites is Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). Inthis technique, the nanocrystals dispersion or nanocrystal polymernanocomposite is kept in a crucible and heated up from room temperatureup to about 800° C., while the weight is monitored. The organic solvent,polymer, and, capping agent will decompose at high, and usuallydifferent, temperatures, leaving only the inorganic nanocrystals behind.The relative weight percentage of various ingredients in the originalsample can be obtained. TGA results usually generate plots withtemperature as the x-axis and the relative weight percentange as they-axis. There are a variety of TGA instruments available, they are allbased on similar principles and when operated properly, the results areinterchange. The model that was specifically used to acquire the data inthis disclosure is a TA Instrument TGA Q500.

One common method to analyze the chemical compounds in a nanocrystaldispersion or nanocomposites is Gas Chromatography (GC). GC is aseparation technique that can separate chemical compounds that can bevaporized without decomposition. In GC, the nanocrystal dispersion ornanocomposite solution (1-5 uL) are injected into a glass chamber thatis kept at a higher temperature (<150° C.) which causes the compounds toexpand. The analytes are then pushed through a 15-30 m capillary columnwith the aid of an inert gas (i.e. mobile phase). The inner wall of thecolumn is coated with a liquid polymer (i.e. stationary phase) which hasa high boiling point. The analytes moving through the column areseparated based on their solubility or interaction with the polymer. Theseparated analysts are then detected by a detector. The results aregenerated in the form of a chromatogram where the y-axis represents theintensity of the signal or concentration of the analyst and the x-axisis the retention time, which indicates how long the analyst was retainedin the column. GC can be used to obtain qualitative as well asquantitative information of chemicals contained in the nanocrystaldispersion and nanocomposites with high sensitivity. There is a widevariety of GC and detector available, the model that was specificallyused to acquire the data in this disclosure is an Agilent 7890 A modelGC equipped with a Flame Ionization Detector (FID).

One common technique to characterize the nanocrystals and capping isFT/IR Spectroscopy (FTIR). This technique is based on a Michelsoninterferometer to perform Fourier Transform to obtain the transmittancein the IR wavelength range, 400-4000 cm⁻¹. The absorption in thewavelength region usually are the results of different vibration modesof the chemical bonds in the samples. It is particularly useful toobserve the chemical bonds between the capping agents and the surface ofthe nanocrystals. A peak on the transmittance spectrum usuallyrepresents vibration mode of a particular type of chemical bond. Thereare a variety of FTIR spectrometers available, they are all based onsimilar principles and when operated properly, the results areinterchange. The model that was used to acquire the data in thisdisclosure is a Jasco FT/IR-4100 IR.

The present disclosure includes dispersions of nanocrystals.

One exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment provides ananocrystal dispersion comprising: Nanocrystals in an amount from 1 to85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in a solvent at least 90%of the number of nanocrystals of the present disclosure are optionallyindividually capped by at least one capping agent; At least 90% of thenanocrystals of the present disclosure optionally have all threedimensions of less than 10 nm. Nanocrystals of the present disclosureoptionally have a size distribution, as measured by TEM and/or DLS—witha peak within the size range from 2 nm to 9 nm. Nanocrystals of thepresent disclosure optionally have at least of an approximatelyspherical or rice shape or mixtures thereof. Nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure optionally have aspect ratios smaller than 3:1.

Nanocrystals of the present disclosure optionally contain (such as,comprise, consist of or consist essentially of) at least one of zincoxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, zirconium-titanium oxide,titanium oxide, yttrium oxide, or any mixtures, alloys, or allotropesthereof.

Nanocrystal dispersions of the present disclosure, when prepared to 10%by weight in the solvent or solvent mixture of the dispersion andmeasured in a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length against afused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length filled with the samesolvent, optionally have a minimum transmittance larger than 15%,alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%, or 60%,or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength region from 400 nm to750 nm. Nanocrystal dispersions of the present disclosure optionallyhave a free capping agent concentration below 5 micrograms/ml,alternatively below 10 micrograms/ml, below 20 micrograms/ml, below 50micrograms/ml, below 100 micrograms/ml, below 150 micrograms/ml, below250 micrograms/ml, below 500 micrograms/ml, below 1,000 micrograms/ml,below 1,500 micrograms/ml, below 2,000 micrograms/ml, below 4,000micrograms/ml, below 6,000 micrograms/ml, below 8,000 micrograms/ml,below 10,000 micrograms/ml, below 25,000 micrograms/ml, below 50,000micrograms/ml, or below 100,000 micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

Solvents of the nanocrystals and nanocrystal dispersions of the presentdisclosure may include at least one or a combination of benzyl alcohol,phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, xylene, heptane, mesitylene, butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether(PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate(EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, methylpentanol, or mixtures thereof.

Capping agents of the nanocrystals and nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure may include at least one or a combination ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and/or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, heptanol, hexanol, octanol,benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol,dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid,benzoic acid or isomers and mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiments of the presentdisclosure wherein nanocrystals of the disclosure include cappingagents, may also contain about 1 to 50% by weight of a solvent group orprecursor group as a capping molecule in addition to the functionalcapping agent wherein weight percent is the weight percent of thesolvent and/or precursor groups capping the nanocrystals based on thetotal weight of capping agent molecules and solvent or precursor groupscapping the nanocrystals. The surface of nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure may include, alone or in addition to capping agents describedherein, solvents of the present disclosure such as, for example, aceticacid, benzyl alcohol, butanol, ethanol, propanol, isopropanol,olylalcohol, dodecylalcohol, octanoic acid, oleic acid, stearic acid,and combinations and mixtures thereof, and/or precursor groups such asalkoxy, butoxy, ethoxy, isopropoxy, propoxy, n-butoxy, tert-butoxy,acetyl, carboxyl, nitryl, chloryl, bromyl and combinations and mixturesthereof.

The solvent and precursor groups may optionally be present on thesurface of the nanocrystals of the present disclosure in an amount of 1to 50 weight percent, as described above and herein, such as in anamount of 2 to 40 weight percent, such as in an amount of 3 to 30 weightpercent, or such as in an amount of 4 to 20 weight percent, oralternatively in an amount of 5 to 10 weight percent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosuremay be optionally characterized as having a size distribution asmeasured by DLS and/or TEM; wherein the nanocrystal size distributionhas a peak located within the size range of 2 nm-13 nm, and optionallywith a peak located between any of 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or 7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm, or 9 nm-10nm, or 10 nm-11 nm, or 11 nm-12 nm, or 12 nm-13 nm wherein thenanocrystal size distribution has a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM)within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm, or optionally within a range of 1 nmto 4 nm, or 1 nm to 3 nm, or 1 nm to 2 nm, or 2 nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4nm, or 2 nm to 3 nm, or 3 nm to 5 nm, or 3 nm to 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosuremay be optionally characterized as resembling a normal nanocrystal sizedistribution as measured by DLS and/or TEM; the nanocrystal sizedistribution having a peak located within the size range of 2 nm-9 nm,and optionally with a peak located between any of 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or 7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9nm, wherein the nanocrystal size distribution having a Full Width atHalf Maximum (FWHM) within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm, or optionallywithin a range of 1 nm to 4 nm, or 1 nm to 3 nm, or 1 nm to 2 nm, or 2nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4 nm, or 2 nm to 3 nm, or 3 nm to 5 nm, or 3 nmto 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosuremay be optionally characterized as resembling a log-normal nanocrystalsize distribution as measured by DLS and/or TEM; the nanocrystal sizedistribution having a peak located within the size range of 2 nm-9 nm,and optionally with a peak located between any of 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or 7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9nm, wherein the log-normal nanocrystal size distribution having a FullWidth at Half Maximum (FWHM) within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm, oroptionally within a range of 1 nm to 4 nm, or 1 nm to 3 nm, or 1 nm to 2nm, or 2 nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4 nm, or 2 nm to 3 nm, or 3 nm to 5 nm,or 3 nm to 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosuremay be optionally characterized as resembling a Lorentzian nanocrystalsize distribution as measured by DLS and/or TEM; the Lorentziannanocrystal size distribution having a peak located within the sizerange of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with a peak located between any of 2nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or 7nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm, wherein the Lorentzian nanocrystal sizedistribution having a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) within the rangefrom 1 nm to 5 nm, or optionally within a range of 1 nm to 4 nm, or 1 nmto 3 nm, or 1 nm to 2 nm, or 2 nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4 nm, or 2 nm to 3nm, or 3 nm to 5 nm, or 3 nm to 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure may contain (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of hafnium oxide, or hafnium oxidecontaining at least one of a capping agent, a solvent group, and/or aprecursor group, in an amount from 1 to 85 percent by weight of thetotal dispersion in a solvent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to80 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 70 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 60 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 50 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 1 to 40 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 1 to 30 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 20weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 10 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 5 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 2 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 85 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 2 to 80 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 70weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 60 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 50 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 40 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 30 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 2 to 20 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 10weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 85 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 3 to 80 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 70 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 60 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 40 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 30 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 3 to 20 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 10 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 5 weight percent. See FIG. 18 as an example TGA for Hafniumoxide nanocrystals. FIG. 18 shows a TGA of capped HfO₂ nanocrystals thatare dispersed in PGMEA at a loading of 10.6 wt %. The weight percentageof HfO₂ is 8.6%. The difference is the amount of organic groups fromcapping on the surface of the nanocrystals. Therefore the wt percentageof the capping is 100%*(10.60-8.638)/10.60=18.51%.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, hafnium oxide may be individually cappedby at least one capping agent.

At least 90% by number, or alternatively such as at least 91%, such asat least 92%, such as at least 93%, such as at least 94%, such as atleast 95%, such as at least 96%, such as at least 97%, such as at least98%, such as at least 99%, such as at least 99.9%, such as at least99.99%, such as at least 99.999% of a collection of hafnium oxidenanocrystals of the present disclosure have at least one capping agent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, hafnium oxide optionally have all threedimensions less than 10 nm, and optionally all three dimensionsare—while not necessarily the same or substantially the same—less than10 nm, such as less than 9 nm, or optionally less than 8 nm, or lessthan 7 nm, or less than 6 nm or less than 5 nm or less than 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof) hafnium oxide may be optionally characterized as having a sizedistribution, as measured by TEM and/or DLS, having a peak within thesize range of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with a peak located between anyof 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm. Nanocrystals of the present disclosureoptionally have at least of an approximately spherical or rice shape ormixtures thereof. The nanocrystals of hafnium oxide of the presentdisclosure may optionally have aspect ratios smaller than 3:1.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing hafniumoxide nanocrystals, when prepared to 10% by weight in the solvent orsolvent mixture of the dispersion and measured in a fused silica cuvettewith 10 mm path length against a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm pathlength filled with the same solvent, have a minimum transmittance largerthan 15%, alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%,or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength region from400 nm to 750 nm. See FIG. 19 as an example UV-vis spectrum for Hafniumoxide nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA at 10 wt % loading.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, hafnium oxide,with the transmittance characterization described herein may be producedin more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts with or withoutfiltration wherein additional clarification and/or separation techniquesare optionally not required.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, hafnium oxide,with the transmittance characterization described herein may be producedin more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts with or withoutfiltration wherein additional clarification and/or separation techniquesare optionally not required and wherein the dispersions are stable, withno substantial loss of clarity or transmittance characteristics overmore than three weeks, alternatively more than four weeks, or more than6 weeks, or more than 8 weeks, or more than 10 weeks, or more than 12weeks, or more than 14 weeks, or more than 18 weeks, or more than 24week, or more than 28 weeks, or more than one year, or more than twoyears, storage in solvent at room temperature (i.e., about 18-22° C.).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing hafniumoxide nanocrystals optionally have free capping agent concentrationbelow 5 micrograms/ml, alternatively below 10 micrograms/ml, below 20micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below 100 micrograms/ml, below150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml, below 500 micrograms/ml,below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500 micrograms/ml, below 2,000micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml, below 6,000 micrograms/ml,below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000 micrograms/ml, below 25,000micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml, or below 100,000micrograms/ml, as measured by GC (see FIG. 20 as an example GC forcapped Hafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA showing PGMEA asthe only prominent peak).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure, such as nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide nanocrystals,may be characterized by, in the XRD pattern, peaks located within rangesbetween 17° and 18°, between 24° to 25°, between 28° to 29°, between 31°to 32°, between 35° to 36°, between 40° to 42°, between 50° to 52°.Depending on the size and crystallinity of the nanocrystals peaks thatare close together may not be individually distinguished. An example XRDpattern for Hafnium oxide nanocrystals are shown in FIG. 15. Exemplaryillustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of the presentdisclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing hafnium oxidenanocrystals, may contain (such as may be comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) a solvent or mixture of solvents containing atleast one of benzyl alcohol, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, xylene,heptane, mesitylene, butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, methylpentanol,or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof), for example hafnium oxide, may contain (such as comprise, consistof or consist essentially of) at least one-capping agent ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and/or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, heptanol, hexanol, octanol,benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol,dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid orisomers and mixtures thereof.

Another aspect of an exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodimentproviding a hafnium oxide nanocrystal dispersion comprises a nanocrystalsize distribution, such as a normal nanocrystal size distribution,lognormal nanocrystal size distribution, or Lorentzian nanocrystal sizedistribution, as measured by DLS (see FIG. 17 as an example DLS forcapped hafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA showing ananocrystals size distribution by volume with a peak at 5.21 nm) and/orTEM (see FIG. 16 as an example TEM image for hafnium oxide nanocrystalsshowing rice shaped nanocrystals); nanocrystal size distribution havinga peak located within the size range of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with apeak located between any of 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or 7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm, wherein thenanocrystal size distribution having a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM)within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm, or optionally within a range of 1 nmto 4 nm, or 1 nm to 3 nm, or 1 nm to 2 nm, or 2 nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4nm, or 2 nm to 3 nm, or 3 nm to 5 nm, or 3 nm to 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontain (such as may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of)zirconium oxide, or zirconium oxide containing at least one of a cappingagent, a solvent group, and/or a precursor group. Nanocrystaldispersions of the present disclosure may contain (such as may comprise,consist of or consist essentially of) nanocrystals of zirconium oxide inan amount from 1 to 85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in asolvent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 80 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 70 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 1 to 60 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 1 to 50 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 40weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 30 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 20 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 10 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 1 to 5 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 1 to 2 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 85weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 80 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 70 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 60 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 50 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 2 to 40 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 30weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 20 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 10 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 85 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 80 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 70weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 60 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 3 to 40 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 30 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 20 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 10weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 5 weightpercent. See FIG. 24 as an example TGA for zirconium oxide nanocrystals.FIG. 24 shows a TGA of capped ZrO₂ nanocrystals that are dispersed inPGMEA at a loading of 52.4 wt %. The weight percentage of ZrO₂ is 43.6%.The difference is the amount of organic groups from capping on thesurface of the nanocrystals. Therefore the wt percentage of the cappingis 100%*(52.4−43.6)/52.4=16.8%.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, zirconium oxide may be individually cappedby at least one capping agent.

At least 90% by number, or alternatively such as at least 91%, such asat least 92%, such as at least 93%, such as at least 94%, such as atleast 95%, such as at least 96%, such as at least 97%, such as at least98%, such as at least 99%, such as at least 99.9%, such as at least99.99%, such as at least 99.999% of a collection of zirconium oxidenanocrystals of the present disclosure have at least one capping agent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, zirconium oxide optionally have all threedimensions less than 10 nm, and optionally all three dimensionsare—while not necessarily the same or substantially the same—less than10 nm, such as less than 9 nm, or optionally less than 8 nm, or lessthan 7 nm, or less than 6 nm or less than 5 nm or less than 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof) zirconium oxide may be optionally characterized as having a sizedistribution, as measured by TEM and/or DLS, having a peak within thesize range of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with a peak located between anyof 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm. The nanocrystals of zirconium oxide of thepresent disclosure optionally have at least of an approximatelyspherical or rice shape or mixtures thereof. The nanocrystals ofzirconium oxide of the present disclosure may optionally have aspectratios smaller than 3:1.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing zirconiumoxide nanocrystals, when prepared to 10% by weight in the solvent orsolvent mixture of the dispersion and measured in a fused silica cuvettewith 10 mm path length against a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm pathlength filled with the same solvent, have a minimum transmittance largerthan 15%, alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%,or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength region from400 nm to 750 nm. See FIG. 25 as an example UV-vis spectrum forzirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA at 52.4 wt % loading.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, zirconium oxide,with the transmittance characterization described herein may be producedin more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts with or withoutfiltration wherein additional clarification and/or separation techniquesare optionally not required.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, zirconium oxide,with the transmittance characterization described herein may besurprisingly produced in more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 gamounts with or without filtration wherein additional clarificationand/or separation techniques are optionally not required and wherein thedispersions are stable, with no substantial loss of clarity ortransmittance characteristics over more than three weeks, alternativelymore than four weeks, or more than 6 weeks, or more than 8 weeks, ormore than 10 weeks, or more than 12 weeks, or more than 14 weeks, ormore than 18 weeks, or more than 24 week, or more than 28 weeks, or morethan one year, or more than two years, storage in solvent at roomtemperature (i.e., about 18-22° C.)

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing zirconiumoxide nanocrystals optionally have free capping agent concentration 5micrograms/ml, alternatively below 10 micrograms/ml, below 20micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below 100 micrograms/ml, below150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml, below 500 micrograms/ml,below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500 micrograms/ml, below 2,000micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml, below 6,000 micrograms/ml,below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000 micrograms/ml, below 25,000micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml, or below 100,000micrograms/ml, as measured by GC. (see FIG. 26 as an example GC forcapped zirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersed in PGMEA showing PGMEA asthe only prominent peak).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure, such as nanocrystals containing zirconium oxidenanocrystals, may be characterized by or demonstrate, in the XRDpattern, peaks located within ranges between 28° and 32°, between 32° to36°, between 48° to 52°, between 58° to 62°.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing zirconiumoxide nanocrystals, may contain (such as may be comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) a solvent or mixture of solvents containing atleast one of benzyl alcohol, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, xylene,heptane, mesitylene, butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, methylpentanol,or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof), for example zirconium oxide, may contain (such as comprise, consistof or consist essentially of) at least one capping agent ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and/or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, heptanol, hexanol, octanol,benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol,dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid orisomers and mixtures thereof.

Another aspect of illustrative non-limiting exemplary embodimentproviding a zirconium oxide nanocrystal dispersion comprises ananocrystal size distribution resembling a normal nanocrystal sizedistribution, or a lognormal nanocrystal size distribution, or aLorentzian nanocrystal size distribution, as measured by DLS (see FIG.23 as an example DLS for capped zirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersedin PGMEA showing a nanocrystals size distribution by volume with a peakat 6.27 nm) and/or TEM (see FIG. 22 as an example TEM image forzirconium oxide nanocrystals showing approximately sphericalnanocrystals); said nanocrystal size distribution having a peak locatedwithin the size range of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with a peak locatedbetween any of 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6nm-7 nm, or 7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm, wherein the nanocrystal sizedistribution having a Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) within the rangefrom 1 nm to 5 nm, or optionally within a range of 1 nm to 4 nm, or 1 nmto 3 nm, or 1 nm to 2 nm, or 2 nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4 nm, or 2 nm to 3nm, or 3 nm to 5 nm, or 3 nm to 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontain (such as may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of)zinc oxide or zinc oxide containing at least one of a capping agent, asolvent group, and/or a precursor group. Nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure may contain (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of zinc oxide in an amount from 1to 85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in a solvent, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 80 weight percent, such as optionally inan amount of 1 to 70 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of1 to 60 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 50weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 40 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 30 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 20 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 1 to 10 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 1 to 5 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 2weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 85 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 80 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 70 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 60 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 2 to 50 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 40weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 30 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 20 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 10 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 5 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 85 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 80weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 70 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 60 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 3 to 50 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 40 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 30 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 20weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 10 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 5 weight percent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, zinc oxide may be individually capped byat least one capping agent.

At least 90% by number, or alternatively such as at least 91%, such asat least 92%, such as at least 93%, such as at least 94%, such as atleast 95%, such as at least 96%, such as at least 97%, such as at least98%, such as at least 99%, such as at least 99.9%, such as at least99.99%, such as at least 99.999% of a collection of zinc oxidenanocrystals of the present disclosure have at least one capping agent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, zinc oxide optionally have all threedimensions less than 10 nm, and optionally all three dimensionsare—while not necessarily the same or substantially the same—less than10 nm, such as less than 9 nm, or optionally less than 8 nm, or lessthan 7 nm, or less than 6 nm or less than 5 nm or less than 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof) zinc oxide may be optionally characterized as having a sizedistribution, as measured by TEM and/or DLS, having a peak within thesize range of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with a peak located between anyof 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm. The nanocrystals of zinc oxide of the presentdisclosure optionally have at least of an approximately spherical orrice shape or mixtures thereof. The nanocrystals of zinc oxide of thepresent disclosure may optionally have aspect ratios smaller than 3:1.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing zincoxide nanocrystals, when prepared to 10% by weight in the solvent orsolvent mixture of the dispersion and measured in a fused silica cuvettewith 10 mm path length against a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm pathlength filled with the same solvent, have a minimum transmittance largerthan 15%, alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%,or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength region from400 nm to 750 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, zinc oxide, withthe transmittance characterization described herein may be produced inmore than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts with or withoutfiltration wherein additional clarification and/or separation techniquesare optionally not required.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, zinc oxide, withthe transmittance characterization described herein may be produced inmore than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts with or withoutfiltration wherein additional clarification and/or separation techniquesare optionally not required and wherein the dispersions are stable, withno substantial loss of clarity or transmittance characteristics overmore than three weeks, alternatively more than four weeks, or more than6 weeks, or more than 8 weeks, or more than 10 weeks, or more than 12weeks, or more than 14 weeks, or more than 18 weeks, or more than 24week, or more than 28 weeks, or more than one year, or more than twoyears, storage in solvent at room temperature (i.e., about 18-22° C.).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing zincoxide nanocrystals optionally have free capping agent concentrationbelow 5 micrograms/ml, alternatively below 10 micrograms/ml, below 20micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below 100 micrograms/ml, below150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml, below 500 micrograms/ml,below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500 micrograms/ml, below 2,000micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml, below 6,000 micrograms/ml,below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000 micrograms/ml, below 25,000micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml, or below 100,000micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing zincoxide nanocrystals, may contain (such as may be comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) a solvent or mixture of solvents containing atleast one of benzyl alcohol, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, xylene,heptane, mesitylene, butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, methylpentanol,or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof), for example zinc oxide, may contain (such as comprise, consist ofor consist essentially of) at least one capping agent ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and/or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, heptanol, hexanol, octanol,benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol,dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid orisomers and mixtures thereof.

Another aspect of non-limiting illustrative exemplary embodimentproviding a zinc oxide nanocrystal dispersion comprises a nanocrystalsize distribution resembling a normal nanocrystal size distribution, ora lognormal nanocrystal size distribution, or a Lorentzian nanocrystalsize distribution, as measured by DLS and/or TEM; said nanocrystal sizedistribution having a peak located within the size range of 2 nm-9 nm,and optionally with a peak located between any of 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or 7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9nm, wherein the nanocrystal size distribution having a Full Width atHalf Maximum (FWHM) within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm, or optionallywithin a range of 1 nm to 4 nm, or 1 nm to 3 nm, or 1 nm to 2 nm, or 2nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4 nm, or 2 nm to 3 nm, or 3 nm to 5 nm, or 3 nmto 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontain (such as may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of)zirconium-titanium oxide or zirconium-titanium oxide containing at leastone of a capping agent, a solvent group, and/or a precursor group.Nanocrystal dispersions of the present disclosure may contain (such asmay comprise, consist of or consist essentially of) nanocrystals ofzirconium-titanium oxide in an amount from 1 to 85 percent by weight ofthe total dispersion in a solvent, such as optionally in an amount of 1to 80 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 70 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 60 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 50 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 1 to 40 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 1 to 30 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 20weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 10 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 5 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 2 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 85 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 2 to 80 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 70weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 60 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 50 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 40 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 30 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 2 to 20 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 10weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 85 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 3 to 80 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 70 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 60 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 40 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 30 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 3 to 20 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 10 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 5 weight percent

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, zirconium-titanium oxide may beindividually capped by at least one capping agent.

At least 90% by number, or alternatively such as at least 91%, such asat least 92%, such as at least 93%, such as at least 94%, such as atleast 95%, such as at least 96%, such as at least 97%, such as at least98%, such as at least 99%, such as at least 99.9%, such as at least99.99%, such as at least 99.999% of a collection of zirconium-titaniumoxide nanocrystals of the present disclosure have at least one cappingagent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, zirconium-titanium oxide optionally haveall three dimensions less than 10 nm, and optionally all threedimensions are—while not necessarily the same or substantially thesame—less than 10 nm, such as less than 9 nm, or optionally less than 8nm, or less than 7 nm, or less than 6 nm or less than 5 nm or less than4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof) zirconium-titanium oxide may be optionally characterized as having asize distribution, as measured by TEM and/or DLS, having a peak withinthe size range of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with a peak located betweenany of 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7nm, or 7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm. The nanocrystals of zirconium-titaniumoxide of the present disclosure optionally have at least of anapproximately spherical or rice shape or mixtures thereof. Thenanocrystals of zirconium-titanium oxide of the present disclosure mayoptionally have aspect ratios smaller than 3:1.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containingzirconium-titanium oxide nanocrystals, when prepared to 10% by weight inthe solvent or solvent mixture of the dispersion and measured in a fusedsilica cuvette with 10 mm path length against a fused silica cuvettewith 10 mm path length filled with the same solvent, have a minimumtransmittance larger than 15%, alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or30%, or 40%, or 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in thewavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, zirconium-titaniumoxide, with the transmittance characterization described herein may beproduced in more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts withor without filtration wherein additional clarification and/or separationtechniques are optionally not required.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, zirconium-titaniumoxide, with the transmittance characterization described herein may besurprisingly produced in more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 gamounts with or without filtration wherein additional clarificationand/or separation techniques are optionally not required and wherein thedispersions are stable, with no substantial loss of clarity ortransmittance characteristics over more than three weeks, alternativelymore than four weeks, or more than 6 weeks, or more than 8 weeks, ormore than 10 weeks, or more than 12 weeks, or more than 14 weeks, ormore than 18 weeks, or more than 24 week, or more than 28 weeks, or morethan one year, or more than two years, storage in solvent at roomtemperature (i.e., about 18-22° C.).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containingzirconium-titanium oxide nanocrystals optionally have free capping agentconcentration below 5 micrograms/ml, alternatively below 10micrograms/ml, below 20 micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below 100micrograms/ml, below 150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml, below500 micrograms/ml, below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500 micrograms/ml,below 2,000 micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml, below 6,000micrograms/ml, below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000 micrograms/ml,below 25,000 micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml, or below 100,000micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containingzirconium-titanium oxide nanocrystals, may contain (such as may becomprise, consist of or consist essentially of) a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing at least one of benzyl alcohol, phenol, oleylalcohol, toluene, xylene, heptane, mesitylene, butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME),propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and2-propoxy-propanol (PnP), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones,cyclic ketones, methylpentanol, or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof), for example zirconium-titanium oxide, may contain (such ascomprise, consist of or consist essentially of) at least one cappingagent of n-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and/or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, heptanol, hexanol, octanol,benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol,dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid orisomers and mixtures thereof.

Another aspect of illustrative non-limiting exemplary embodimentproviding a zirconium-titanium oxide nanocrystal dispersion comprises ananocrystal size distribution resembling a normal nanocrystal sizedistribution, or a lognormal nanocrystal size distribution, or aLorentzian nanocrystal size distribution, as measured by DLS and/or TEM;said nanocrystal size distribution having a peak located within the sizerange of 2 nm-9 nm, and optionally with a peak located between any of 2nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or 7nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm, wherein the nanocrystal size distribution havinga Full Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm,or optionally within a range of 1 nm to 4 nm, or 1 nm to 3 nm, or 1 nmto 2 nm, or 2 nm to 5 nm, or 2 nm to 4 nm, or 2 nm to 3 nm, or 3 nm to 5nm, or 3 nm to 4 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontain (such as may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of)yttrium oxide. Nanocrystal dispersions of the present disclosure maycontain (such as may comprise, consist of or consist essentially of)nanocrystals of yttrium oxide, or yttrium oxide containing at least oneof a capping agent, a solvent group, and/or a precursor group, in anamount from 1 to 85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in asolvent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 80 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 70 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 1 to 60 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 1 to 50 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 40weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 30 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 20 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 1 to 10 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 1 to 5 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 1 to 2 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 85weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 80 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 70 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 60 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 2 to 50 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 2 to 40 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 30weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 20 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 10 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 85 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 80 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 70weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 60 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50 weight percent, suchas optionally in an amount of 3 to 40 weight percent, such as optionallyin an amount of 3 to 30 weight percent, such as optionally in an amountof 3 to 20 weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 10weight percent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 5 weightpercent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, yttrium oxide may be individually cappedby at least one capping agent.

At least 90% by number, or alternatively such as at least 91%, such asat least 92%, such as at least 93%, such as at least 94%, such as atleast 95%, such as at least 96%, such as at least 97%, such as at least98%, such as at least 99%, such as at least 99.9%, such as at least99.99%, such as at least 99.999% of a collection of yttrium oxidenanocrystals of the present disclosure have at least one capping agent.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as may be comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), for example, yttrium oxide optionally have at least onedimension less than 10 nm, and optionally at least one dimensionis—while not necessarily the same or substantially the same—less than 10nm, such as less than 9 nm, or optionally less than 8 nm, or less than 7nm, or less than 6 nm or less than 5 nm or less than 4 nm, or less than3 nm, or less than 2 nm, or less than 1 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting Yttrium Oxide nanocrystals of thepresent disclosure optionally have at least of an approximatelyspherical shape, or rice shape, disk shape, or sheets, or mixturesthereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing yttriumoxide nanocrystals, when prepared to 10% by weight in the solvent orsolvent mixture of the dispersion and measured in a fused silica cuvettewith 10 mm path length against a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm pathlength filled with the same solvent, have a minimum transmittance largerthan 15%, alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%,or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength region from400 nm to 750 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, yttrium oxide,with the transmittance characterization described herein may be producedin more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts with or withoutfiltration wherein additional clarification and/or separation techniquesare optionally not required.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure containing (such as may comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) nanocrystals of, for example, yttrium oxide,with the transmittance characterization described herein may be producedin more than 5 g or alternatively more than 10 g amounts with or withoutfiltration wherein additional clarification and/or separation techniquesare optionally not required and wherein the dispersions are stable, withno substantial loss of clarity or transmittance characteristics overmore than three weeks, alternatively more than four weeks, or more than6 weeks, or more than 8 weeks, or more than 10 weeks, or more than 12weeks, or more than 14 weeks, or more than 18 weeks, or more than 24week, or more than 28 weeks, or more than one year, or more than twoyears, storage in solvent at room temperature (i.e., about 18-22° C.)

Nanocrystal dispersions of the present disclosure, such as nanocrystaldispersions containing yttrium oxide nanocrystals optionally have freecapping agent concentration below 5 micrograms/ml, alternatively below10 micrograms/ml, below 20 micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below100 micrograms/ml, below 150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml,below 500 micrograms/ml, below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500micrograms/ml, below 2,000 micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml,below 6,000 micrograms/ml, below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000micrograms/ml, below 25,000 micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml,or below 100,000 micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, such as nanocrystal dispersions containing yttriumoxide nanocrystals, may contain (such as may be comprise, consist of orconsist essentially of) a solvent or mixture of solvents containing atleast one of benzyl alcohol, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, xylene,heptane, mesitylene, butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, methylpentanol,or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure and/or nanocrystals of dispersions of the present disclosurecontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof), for example yttrium oxide, may contain (such as comprise, consistof or consist essentially of) at least one capping agent ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and/or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, heptanol, hexanol, octanol,benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol,dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid orisomers and mixtures thereof.

Another illustrative non-limiting exemplary embodiment provides ahafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersion containing (such as comprising,consisting of or consisting essentially of) nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide wherein the dispersion contains the nanocrystals in anamount from 5 to 85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in asolvent containing toluene. The nanocrystals of the dispersion of thisembodiment are individually capped by at least onen-octyltrimethoxysilane molecule, wherein at least 98% of the hafniumoxide nanocrystals have all three dimensions less than 10 nm wherein thedimensions of each of the three dimensions may be substantially the sameor substantially different. The hafnium oxide nanocrystals of thedispersion of this embodiment having a size distribution, as measured byTEM and/or DLS, with a peak within the size range from 3 nm to 8 nmwherein the nanocrystal size distribution has a Full Width at HalfMaximum (FWHM) within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm. The hafnium oxidenanocrystals of this embodiment have at least of an approximatelyspherical or rice shape or mixtures thereof and aspect ratios smallerthan 3:1. The hafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersion of this embodimentof the disclosure, when prepared to 10% by weight in toluene andmeasured in a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length against afused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length filled with the toluene,having a minimum transmittance larger than 50% in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm. The hafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersion of thisembodiment has a free capping agent concentration below 150micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

Another illustrative non-limiting exemplary embodiment provides ahafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersion containing (such as comprising,consisting of or consisting essentially of) nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide wherein the dispersion contains the nanocrystals in anamount from 5 to 85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in asolvent containing PGMEA. The nanocrystals of the dispersion of thisembodiment are individually capped by at least onemethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane molecule, wherein at least98% of the hafnium oxide nanocrystals having all three dimensions lessthan 10 nm wherein the dimensions of each of the three dimensions may besubstantially the same or substantially different. The hafnium oxidenanocrystals of the dispersion of this embodiment having a sizedistribution, as measured by TEM and/or DLS, with a peak within the sizerange from 3 nm to 8 nm wherein the nanocrystal size distribution has aFull Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm.The hafnium oxide nanocrystals of this embodiment have at least of anapproximately spherical or rice shape or mixtures thereof and aspectratios smaller than 3:1. The hafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersion ofthis embodiment of the disclosure, when prepared to 10% by weight inPGMEA and measured in a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm path lengthagainst a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length filled with PGMEA,having a minimum transmittance larger than 50% in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm. The hafnium oxide nanocrystals dispersion of thisembodiment has a free capping agent concentration below 150micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

Another illustrative non-limiting exemplary embodiment provides azirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersion containing (such as comprising,consisting of or consisting essentially of) nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide wherein the dispersion contains the nanocrystals in anamount from 5 to 85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in asolvent containing toluene. The nanocrystals of the dispersion of thisembodiment are individually capped by at least onen-octyltrimethoxysilane molecule wherein at least 98% of the zirconiumoxide nanocrystals have all three dimensions less than 13 nm wherein thedimensions of each of the three dimensions may be substantially the sameor substantially different. The zirconium oxide nanocrystals of thedispersion of this embodiment having a size distribution, as measured byTEM and/or DLS, with a peak within the size range from 3 nm to 10 nmwherein the nanocrystal size distribution has a Full Width at HalfMaximum (FWHM) within the range from 1 nm to 5 nm. The zirconium oxidenanocrystals of this embodiment have aspect ratios smaller than 3:1. Thezirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersion of this embodiment of thedisclosure, when prepared to 10% by weight in toluene and measured in afused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length against a fused silicacuvette with 10 mm path length filled with the toluene, having a minimumtransmittance larger than 60% in the wavelength region from 400 nm to750 nm. The zirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersion of this embodimenthas a free capping agent concentration below 150 micrograms/ml, asmeasured by GC.

Another illustrative non-limiting exemplary embodiment provides azirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersion containing (such as comprising,consisting of or consisting essentially of) nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide wherein the dispersion contains the nanocrystals in anamount from 5 to 85 percent by weight of the total dispersion in asolvent containing PGMEA. The nanocrystals of the dispersion of thisembodiment are individually capped by at least onemethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane molecule wherein at least98% of the zirconium oxide nanocrystals have all three dimensions lessthan 13 nm wherein the dimensions of each of the three dimensions may besubstantially the same or substantially different. The zirconium oxidenanocrystals of the dispersion of this embodiment having a sizedistribution, as measured by TEM and/or DLS, with a peak within the sizerange from 4 nm to 10 nm wherein the nanocrystal size distribution has aFull Width at Half Maximum (FWHM) within the range from 2 nm to 6 nm.The zirconium oxide nanocrystals of this embodiment have an aspect ratiosmaller than 3:1. The zirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersion of thisembodiment of the disclosure, when prepared to 10% by weight in PGMEAand measured in a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length against afused silica cuvette with 10 mm path length filled with the PGMEA,having a minimum transmittance larger than 50% in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm. The zirconium oxide nanocrystals dispersion ofthis embodiment has a free capping agent concentration below 150micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

The present disclosure further describes as further illustrativenon-limiting exemplary embodiments, nanocrystal polymer nanocompositescontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof) nanocrystals or nanocrystals containing at least one of a cappingagent, a solvent group, and/or a precursor group, as described herein inan amount from 1 to 95% percent by weight of the total nanocomposite,such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 90 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 80 weight percentof the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 70weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 60 weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 50 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 40 weight percentof the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 30weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 20 weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 10 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 5 weight percentof the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 2weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 95 weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 90 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 80 weight percentof the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 70weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 60 weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 50 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 40 weight percentof the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 30weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 20 weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 10 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weight percentof the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 95weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 90 weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 80 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 70 weightpercent, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 60 weight percent ofthe total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 40 weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 30 weight percent of the totalnanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 20 weight percentof the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 10weight percent of the total nanocomposite, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 5 weight percent of the total nanocomposite. FIG. 27shows a TEM image of approximately spherical capped ZrO₂ nanocrystalsdispersed in an acrylic polymer at 35 wt % loading.

The exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystals of thenanocomposite are optionally individually capped as described hereinsuch as by at least one capping agent wherein at least 95% of thenanocrystals have all three dimensions less than 10 nm wherein thedimensions of each of the three dimensions may be substantially the sameor substantially different. The nanocrystals of the nanocomposite of thepresent disclosure have a size distribution as described herein, such asa size distribution, as measured by TEM, having a peak within the sizerange from 2 nm to 10 nm, and optionally with a peak located between anyof 2 nm-3 nm, or 3 nm-4 nm, or 4 nm-5 nm, or 5 nm-6 nm, or 6 nm-7 nm, or7 nm-8 nm, or 8 nm-9 nm, or 9 nm-10 nm wherein the nanocrystalsoptionally have a at least of an approximately spherical, or discshaped, or sheet shaped, or rice shape or mixtures thereof. Thenanocrystals of the nanocomposite according to this embodiment haveaspect ratios smaller than 3:1. The nanocrystals of the nanocompositecontain (such as may be comprise, consists or consists essentially of)at least one of zinc oxide, hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,zirconium-titanium oxide, titanium oxide, yttrium oxide, or anymixtures, alloys, or allotropes thereof as described herein.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions, whenprepared with 10% by weight in the same polymer as a nanocomposite ofthe present disclosure, and applied as a coating on a fused silica waferwith 1 μm thickness, and measured against a fused silica wafer coveredwith a 1 μm layer of same polymer, having a minimum transmittance largerthan 99%, alternatively larger than 98%, 99.5%, 99.9%, or 99.95% in thewavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm. The nanocrystal dispersion of ananocomposite of the present disclosure has a free capping agentconcentration below 150 micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

The present disclosure further describes as further illustrativenon-limiting exemplary embodiments, nanocrystal oil dispersionscontaining (such as comprising, consisting of or consisting essentiallyof) nanocrystals or nanocrystals containing at least one of a cappingagent, a solvent group, and/or a precursor group, as described herein inan amount from 0.05 to 95% percent by weight of the total dispersion,such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 90 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 80 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 70 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to60 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 50 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 40 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 30 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 20 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to10 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 5 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 2 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 95 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 90 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to80 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 70 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 60 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 50 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 40 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to30 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 20 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 10 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 95 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to90 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 80 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 70 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 60 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to40 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 30 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 20 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 10 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 5 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 0.05to 0.1 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 0.1 to 0.25 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 0.25 to 0.5 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 0.5 to 1 weight percentof the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 1.25weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amountof 1.25 to 2 weight percent of the total dispersion.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting capping agents of nanocrystals ofoil dispersions of the present disclosure including at least one ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid,and/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting oils of nanocrystal oil dispersionof the present disclosure including at least one of the Polyalphaolefins(PAO), including PAO4, PAO10, PAO6, PAO8, PAO5, PAO7, PAO9, PAO20,PAO30, mineral oils such as RLOP100, Yubase including Yubase 4, and/orisomers and/or mixtures thereof.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal collection contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, orcombinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, and zinc oxide, wherein any of the hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, orcombinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, contain at least one capping agentselected from any one of a combination of n-propyltrimethoxysilane,n-propyltriethoxysilane, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoicacid, and/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal oil dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, orcombinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, and zinc oxide, wherein any of the hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, orcombinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, and zinc oxide, contain at least one cappingagent selected from any one of a combination ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acidand/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof; and the dispersion furthercontains an oil or mixture of oils selected from Polyalphaolefins (PAO),including PAO4, PAO10, PAO6, PAO8, PAO5, PAO7, PAO9, PAO20, PAO30,mineral oils such as RLOP100, Yubase including Yubase 4, and/or isomersand/or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure, when prepared to 10% by weight in the oil or oilmixture of the dispersion and measured in a fused silica cuvette with 10mm path length against a fused silica cuvette with 10 mm path lengthfilled with the same oil, have a minimum transmittance larger than 15%,alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%, or 50%, or 60%,or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength region from 400 nm to750 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure wherein the dispersions are stable, with nosubstantial loss of clarity or transmittance characteristics over morethan three weeks, alternatively more than four weeks, or more than 6weeks, or more than 8 weeks, or more than 10 weeks, or more than 12weeks, or more than 14 weeks, or more than 18 weeks, or more than 24week, or more than 28 weeks, or more than one year, or more than twoyears, storage in solvent at room temperature (i.e., about 18-22 C).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting nanocrystal dispersions of thepresent disclosure optionally have free capping agent concentrationbelow 5 micrograms/ml, alternatively below 10 micrograms/ml, below 20micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below 100 micrograms/ml, below150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml, below 500 micrograms/ml,below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500 micrograms/ml, below 2,000micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml, below 6,000 micrograms/ml,below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000 micrograms/ml, below 25,000micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml, or below 100,000micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

The present disclosure further describes as further illustrativenon-limiting exemplary embodiments, zirconium oxide nanocrystal oildispersions containing (such as comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of) nanocrystals or nanocrystals containing at least one ofa capping agent, a solvent group, and/or a precursor group, as describedherein in an amount from 0.05 to 95% percent by weight of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 90 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 80 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to70 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 60 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 50 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 40 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 30 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to20 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 10 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 5 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 2 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 95 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to90 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 80 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 70 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 60 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 50 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to40 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 30 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 20 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 10 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to95 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 90 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 80 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 70 weight percent,such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 60 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 40 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to30 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 20 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 10 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 5 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 0.05 to 0.1weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amountof 0.1 to 0.25 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 0.25 to 0.5 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 0.5 to 1 weight percentof the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 1.25weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amountof 1.25 to 2 weight percent of the total dispersion.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting capping agents of zirconium oxidenanocrystals of oil dispersions of the present disclosure including atleast one of n-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoicacid, and/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting oils of zirconium oxide nanocrystaloil dispersion of the present disclosure including at least one of thePolyalphaolefins (PAO), including PAO4, PAO10, PAO6, PAO8, PAO5, PAO7,PAO9, PAO20, PAO30, mineral oils such as RLOP100, Yubase includingYubase 4, or isomers and mixtures thereof.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal collection contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), zirconium oxide nanocrystals,wherein zirconium oxide nanocrystals contain at least one capping agentselected from any one of a combination of n-propyltrimethoxysilane,n-propyltriethoxysilane, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoicacid, and/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal oil dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), zirconium oxide nanocrystalswherein zirconium oxide nanocrystals contain at least one capping agentselected from any one of a combination of n-propyltrimethoxysilane,n-propyltriethoxysilane, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acidor isomers and mixtures thereof; and the dispersion further contains anoil or mixture of oils selected from Polyalphaolefins (PAO), includingPAO4, PAO10, PAO6, PAO8, PAO5, PAO7, PAO9, PAO20, PAO30, mineral oilssuch as RLOP100, Yubase including Yubase 4, and/or isomers and/ormixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting zirconium oxide nanocrystal oildispersions of the present disclosure, when prepared to 10% by weight inthe oil or oil mixture of the dispersion and measured in a fused silicacuvette with 10 mm path length against a fused silica cuvette with 10 mmpath length filled with the same oil, have a minimum transmittancelarger than 15%, alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%,or 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting zirconium oxide nanocrystal oildispersions of the present disclosure wherein the dispersions arestable, with no substantial loss of clarity or transmittancecharacteristics over more than three weeks, alternatively more than fourweeks, or more than 6 weeks, or more than 8 weeks, or more than 10weeks, or more than 12 weeks, or more than 14 weeks, or more than 18weeks, or more than 24 week, or more than 28 weeks, or more than oneyear, or more than two years, storage in oil dispersion at roomtemperature (i.e., about 18-22 C).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting zirconium oxide nanocrystal oildispersions of the present disclosure wherein free capping agentconcentration is below 5 micrograms/ml, alternatively below 10micrograms/ml, below 20 micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below 100micrograms/ml, below 150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml, below500 micrograms/ml, below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500 micrograms/ml,below 2,000 micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml, below 6,000micrograms/ml, below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000 micrograms/ml,below 25,000 micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml, or below 100,000micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

The present disclosure further describes as further illustrativenon-limiting exemplary embodiments, zinc oxide nanocrystal oildispersions containing (such as comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of) nanocrystals or nanocrystals containing at least one ofa capping agent, a solvent group, and/or a precursor group, as describedherein in an amount from 0.05 to 95% percent by weight of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 90 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 80 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to70 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 60 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 50 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 40 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 30 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to20 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 1 to 10 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 1 to 5 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 2 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 95 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to90 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 80 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 70 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 60 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 50 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to40 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 2 to 30 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 2 to 20 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 10 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 2 to 5 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to95 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 90 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 80 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 70 weight percent,such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 60 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 50 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 40 weightpercent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to30 weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in anamount of 3 to 20 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 3 to 10 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 3 to 5 weight percent ofthe total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 0.05 to 0.1weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amountof 0.1 to 0.25 weight percent of the total dispersion, such asoptionally in an amount of 0.25 to 0.5 weight percent of the totaldispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 0.5 to 1 weight percentof the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amount of 1 to 1.25weight percent of the total dispersion, such as optionally in an amountof 1.25 to 2 weight percent of the total dispersion.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting capping agents of zinc oxidenanocrystals of oil dispersions of the present disclosure including atleast one of n-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoicacid, and/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting oils of zinc oxide nanocrystal oildispersion of the present disclosure including at least one of thePolyalphaolefins (PAO), including PAO4, PAO10, PAO6, PAO8, PAO5, PAO7,PAO9, PAO20, PAO30, mineral oils such as RLOP100, Yubase includingYubase 4, and/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal collection contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), zinc oxide nanocrystals,wherein zinc oxide nanocrystals contain at least one capping agentselected from any one of a combination of n-propyltrimethoxysilane,n-propyltriethoxysilane, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoicacid, and/or isomers and/or mixtures thereof.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal oil dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), zinc oxide nanocrystals whereinzinc oxide nanocrystals contain at least one capping agent selected fromany one of a combination of n-propyltrimethoxysilane,n-propyltriethoxysilane, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane, and/or, heptanol, hexanol, octanol, benzyl alcohol,phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol,octadecanol and, octanoic acid, propionic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acidor isomers and mixtures thereof; and the dispersion further contains anoil or mixture of oils selected from Polyalphaolefins (PAO), includingPAO4, PAO10, PAO6, PAO8, PAO5, PAO7, PAO9, PAO20, PAO30, mineral oilssuch as RLOP100, Yubase including Yubase 4, and/or isomers and/ormixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting zinc oxide nanocrystal oildispersions of the present disclosure, when prepared to 10% by weight inthe oil or oil mixture of the dispersion and measured in a fused silicacuvette with 10 mm path length against a fused silica cuvette with 10 mmpath length filled with the same oil, have a minimum transmittancelarger than 15%, alternatively larger than 20%, or 25%, or 30%, or 40%,or 50%, or 60%, or 70%, or 80%, or 90%, or 99%, in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting zinc oxide nanocrystal oildispersions of the present disclosure wherein the dispersions arestable, with no substantial loss of clarity or transmittancecharacteristics over more than three weeks, alternatively more than fourweeks, or more than 6 weeks, or more than 8 weeks, or more than 10weeks, or more than 12 weeks, or more than 14 weeks, or more than 18weeks, or more than 24 week, or more than 28 weeks, or more than oneyear, or more than two years, storage in oil dispersion at roomtemperature (i.e., about 18-22 C).

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting zinc oxide nanocrystal oildispersions of the present disclosure wherein free capping agentconcentration is below 5 micrograms/ml, alternatively below 10micrograms/ml, below 20 micrograms/ml, below 50 micrograms/ml, below 100micrograms/ml, below 150 micrograms/ml, below 250 micrograms/ml, below500 micrograms/ml, below 1,000 micrograms/ml, below 1,500 micrograms/ml,below 2,000 micrograms/ml, below 4,000 micrograms/ml, below 6,000micrograms/ml, below 8,000 micrograms/ml, below 10,000 micrograms/ml,below 25,000 micrograms/ml, below 50,000 micrograms/ml, or below 100,000micrograms/ml, as measured by GC.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting capping agents of nanocrystals ofnanocomposites of the present disclosure include capping agentsdescribed above and herein and include at least one ofn-propyltrimethoxysilane, n-propyltriethoxysilane,n-octyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, phenytrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,3-isocyanatopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-isocyanatopropyltrimethoxysilane,and/or glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, heptanol, hexanol, octanol,benzyl alcohol, phenol, ethanol, propanol, butanol, oleylalcohol,dodecylalcohol, octadecanol and triethylene glycol monomethyl ether,octanoic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, oleic acid, benzoic acid orisomers and mixtures thereof.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting polymers of nanocomposites of thepresent disclosure at least one of thepoly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) (ABS), poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA), celluloid, cellulose acetate, poly(ethylene-vinyl acetate)(EVA), poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol) (EVOH), fluoroplastics,polyacrylates (Acrylic), polyacrylonitrile (PAN), polyamide (PA orNylon), polyamide-imide (PAI), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polybutadiene(PBD), polybutylene (PB), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT),polycaprolactone (PCL), polychlorotrifluoroethylene (PCTFE),polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycyclohexylene dimethyleneterephthalate (PCT), polycarbonate (PC), polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs),polyketone (PK), polyester, polyethylene (PE), polyetheretherketone(PEEK), polyetherketoneketone (PEKK), polyetherimide (PEI),polyethersulfone (PES), polyethylenechlorinates (PEC), polyimide (PI),polylactic acid (PLA), polymethylpentene (PMP), polyphenylene oxide(PPO), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), polyphthalamide (PPA), polypropylene(PP), polystyrene (PS), polysulfone (PSU), polytrimethyleneterephthalate (PTT), polyurethane (PU), polyvinyl acetate (PVA),polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC),poly(styrene-acrylonitrile) (SAN), a spin-on-glass (SOG) polymer,Siloxane-spin-on polymers in Ethanol, Propylene Glycol Methyl EtherAcetate (PGMEA), isopropyl alcohol or mixture of these solvents, JSRMicro topcoat (NFC TCX 014 in 4-methyl-2-pentanol), JSR Microphotoresist (ARF 1682J-19), silicones, or isomers and mixtures thereof.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contain (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, yttriumoxide, or combinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxide, wherein any ofthe hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zincoxide, yttrium oxide, or combinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide,zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxidecontain at least one capping agent selected from any one of acombination of methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, propanol, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol, octanoic acid,oleic acid, stearic acid, and n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contain (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, yttriumoxide, or combinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxide, wherein any ofthe hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zincoxide, yttrium oxide, or combinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide,zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxidecontain at least one capping agent selected from any one of acombination of methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, propanol, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol, octanoic acid,oleic acid, stearic acid, and n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane; and thedispersion further contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selectedfrom butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol, toluene, xylene, mesitylene and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, or combinations ormixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide,wherein any of the hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconiumoxide, or combinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, contain at least one capping agent selectedfrom any one of a combination ofmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, and propanol; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether(PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone,tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains at least onecapping agent selected from any one of a combination ofmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, and propanol; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether(PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone,tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains atleast one capping agent selected from any one of a combination ofmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, and propanol; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether(PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone,tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide furtheroptionally contains at least one capping agent selected from any one ofa combination of methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, and propanol; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether(PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone,tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclicketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains acetic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains benzyl alcohol as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains butanol as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains ethanol as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains propanol as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containinghafnium oxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a polymer containing at least one or a mixture of acrylicpolymers including poly(methyl methacrylate), silicones, siloxane, spinon glass polymers, epoxy polymers, and poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), andthe nanocomposite contains a nanocrystal product obtained from orobtainable from a nanocrystal dispersion containing (such as comprises,consisting of or consisting essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventsselected from toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventsselected from toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsoctanoic acid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene,xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsoctanoic acid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsoctanoic acid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsoctanoic acid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containingmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains oleicacid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene,xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains oleicacid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains oleicacid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains oleicacid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents containingmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventscontaining mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, wherein thehafnium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at leastone capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains asolvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene and mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains oleic acid as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene, xylene andmesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing xylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocomposite is provided wherein the nanocompositecontains a silicone polymer, and the nanocomposite contains ananocrystal product obtained from or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprises, consists of or consistsessentially of), nanocrystals containing zirconium oxide, wherein thezirconium oxide optionally contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing mesitylene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclicketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains acetic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME),propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran(THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains benzyl alcohol asat least one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether(PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone,tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains butanol as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME),propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran(THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains ethanol as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME),propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran(THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains propanol as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME),propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran(THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxideoptionally contains methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME),propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran(THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxideoptionally contains 2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilaneas at least one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether(PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone,tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxideoptionally contains 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME),propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran(THF), ketones, cyclic ketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide contains2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as at least one capping agent;and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture ofsolvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclicketones, 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsacetic acid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected frombutanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsbenzyl alcohol as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected frombutanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsbutanol as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected frombutanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsethanol as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected frombutanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containspropanol as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected frombutanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventsselected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally containsn-octyltriethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and the dispersionfurther optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selectedfrom toluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide optionally contains oleylalcohol as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene,mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains dodecylalcohol as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, andheptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains octanoic acid, as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, andheptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains oleic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, andheptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains stearic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, andheptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing hafniumoxide, wherein the hafnium oxide contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane asat least one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene,mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventsselected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsn-octyltriethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and the dispersionfurther optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selectedfrom toluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide optionally containsoleylalcohol as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected fromtoluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains dodecylalcohol asat least one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene,mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains octanoic acid, asat least one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene,mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains oleic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene,mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide contains stearic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene,mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingzirconium oxide, wherein the zirconium oxide containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventsselected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxideoptionally contains n-octyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, andheptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxideoptionally contains n-octyltriethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, andheptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxideoptionally contains oleylalcohol as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventsselected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsdodecylalcohol as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected fromtoluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsoctanoic acid, as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected fromtoluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsoleic acid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected fromtoluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsstearic acid as at least one capping agent; and the dispersion furtheroptionally contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected fromtoluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containingtitanium-zirconium oxide, wherein the titanium-zirconium oxide containsn-octadecyltrimethoxysilane as at least one capping agent; and thedispersion further optionally contains a solvent or mixture of solventsselected from toluene, xylene, mesitylene, and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, and 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, and 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, and 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide contains acetic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF),ketones, cyclic ketones, and 2-butoxyethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide contains n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane, asat least one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionallycontains a solvent or mixture of solvents selected from toluene andheptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing yttriumoxide, wherein the yttrium oxide contains octanoic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from toluene and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing yttriumoxide, wherein the yttrium oxide contains oleic acid as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from toluene and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing yttriumoxide, wherein the yttrium oxide contains stearic acid, as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from toluene and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally containsmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane as at least onecapping agent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solventor mixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents selected from butanol, ethanol, propylene glycolmethyl ether acetate (PGMEA), ketones and cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing butanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ethanol.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA).

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing zincoxide, wherein the zinc oxide optionally contains3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as at least one cappingagent; and the dispersion further optionally contains a solvent ormixture of solvents containing cyclic ketones.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing yttriumoxide, wherein the yttrium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing oleicacid, wherein the yttrium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal dispersion contains (such as comprises,consists of or consists essentially of), nanocrystals containing stearicacid, wherein the yttrium oxide optionally contains octanoic acid as atleast one capping agent; and the dispersion further optionally containsa solvent or mixture of solvents containing toluene.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocrystal collection or nanocrystal containing product,as in the form of a powder, is provided wherein the nanocrystals contain(such as comprises, consists of or consists essentially of), hafniumoxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, yttriumoxide, or combinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxide, wherein any ofthe hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zincoxide, yttrium oxide, or combinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide,zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxidecontain at least one capping agent selected from any one of acombination of methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, propanol, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol, octanoic acid,oleic acid, stearic acid, and n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane; andoptionally and additionally at least one additional capping speciesselected from butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propyleneglycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA), acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol, toluene, xylene, mesitylene and heptane.

In further exemplary illustrative non-limiting embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a nanocompsite is provided wherein the nanocompositeincludes nanocrystals obtained or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, yttrium oxide, or combinations ormixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide,zinc oxide, and yttrium oxide, wherein any of the hafnium oxide,zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, yttrium oxide, orcombinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxide contain at leastone capping agent selected from any one of a combination ofmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, propanol, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol, octanoic acid,oleic acid, stearic acid, and n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane; and thedispersion further contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selectedfrom butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol, toluene, xylene, mesitylene and heptane; and thenanocomposite further contains a polymer selected from at least one or amixture of acrylic polymers including poly(methyl methacrylate),silicones, siloxane, spin on glass polymers, epoxy polymers,poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), and epoxy.

In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a nanocompositeincluding nanocrystals obtained or obtainable from a nanocrystaldispersion containing (such as comprising, consisting of or consistingessentially of), nanocrystals containing hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, yttrium oxide, or combinations ormixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide,zinc oxide, and yttrium oxide, wherein any of the hafnium oxide,zirconium oxide, titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, yttrium oxide, orcombinations or mixtures of hafnium oxide, zirconium oxide,titanium-zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, and yttrium oxide contain at leastone capping agent selected from any one of a combination ofmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane,2-[methoxy(polyethyleneoxy)propyl]-trimethoxysilane,3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, acetic acid, benzyl alcohol,butanol, ethanol, propanol, n-octyltrimethoxysilane,n-octyltriethoxysilane, oleylalcohol, dodecylalcohol, octanoic acid,oleic acid, stearic acid, and n-octadecyltrimethoxysilane; and thedispersion further contains a solvent or mixture of solvents selectedfrom butanol, propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), ketones, cyclic ketones,2-butoxyethanol, toluene, xylene, mesitylene and heptane; and thenanocomposite further contains a polymer selected from at least one or amixture of acrylic polymers including poly(methyl methacrylate),silicones, siloxane, spin on glass polymers, epoxy polymers,poly(ethylene vinyl alcohol), and epoxy, wherein the nanocrystals of thenanocomposite are dispersed in the polymer, such as for example anepoxy, in the absence of solvent. The products and methods of thepresent disclosure are exemplified by the following non-limitingexamples.

Example 1 Synthesis and Capping of Nanocrystals

Synthesis of Zirconium Oxide (ZrO₂) Nanocrystals

Zirconium oxide nanocrystals having a size in the range of 1-10 nm canbe prepared from precursors such as Zirconium (IV) n-butoxide, zirconiumn-propoxide, Zirconium isopropoxide isopropanol or zirconium ethoxide.Zirconium n-butoxide or zirconium n-propoxide would be advantageouslyused as precursors depending on final product desired.

In an exemplary method, a zirconium alkoxide precursor, such as, but notlimited to, Zirconium n-butoxide, zirconium n-propoxide, zirconiumisopropoxide isopropanol or zirconium ethoxide, is mixed with a solventor mixture of solvents, including benzyl alcohol, phenol, oleyl alcohol,butanol, propanol, isopropanol, water, tetrahydrofuran, ethanol,methanol, acetonitrile, toluene, PGMEA, PGPE, PGME, 2-methyl-1-propanol,or triethylene glycol monomethyl ether and sealed within an autoclave.The reaction mixture is heated to a temperature between 250-350° C. Oncethe reaction mixture reaches the set temperature, the temperature ismaintained for a length of time ranging from 20 minutes to 24 hoursdepending in part on the solvent or solvent mixtures and/or thetemperature of the reaction. As-synthesized zirconium oxide nanocrystalsare collected as a white milky suspension.

In a further example, zirconium oxide nanocrystals were produced from amixture of 30 millimoles of zirconium isopropoxide isopropanol, orzirconium n-butoxide, or zirconium n-propoxide, or zirconiumtert-butoxide, or zirconium acetate, or zirconium acetyl acetonate, orzirconium ethoxide and 300 milliliters of benzyl alcohol in an inertatmosphere which was sealed within an autoclave. The reaction mixturewas heated to 350° C. at a heating rate is 10° C./min. Once the reactionmixture reached 350° C., the temperature was maintained for 20-60 min. Awhite milky solution of as-synthesized ZrO₂ nanocrystals was collectedafter the autoclave was cooled down to the room temperature.

In a further example, zirconium oxide nanocrystals were prepared from 45millimoles of zirconium isopropoxide isopropanol, or zirconiumn-butoxide, or zirconium n-propoxide, or zirconium tert-butoxide, orzirconium acetate, or zirconium acetyl acetonate, or zirconium ethoxidemixed with 300 milliliters of benzyl alcohol in an inert atmospherewhich was transferred to an autoclave. The reaction mixture was heatedto 300-350° C. for 1-2 hours at a heating rate of 10° C./min. Thepressure of the reaction reaches 100 to 500 psi. After the reaction wascomplete and the reactor was returned to room temperature, a white milkysolution of as-synthesized zirconium oxide nanocrystals was collected.

An exemplary synthetic method using zirconium n-butoxide as theprecursor is as follows: 21.58 g of 80% (w/w) Zirconium (IV) n-butoxidein 1-butanol solution (containing 17.26 g or 45 mmol Zirconium (IV)n-butoxide) was mixed with 300 ml of benzyl alcohol in a glove box andthen transferred into an autoclave with a glass liner. The setup wassealed under an argon atmosphere to prevent oxygen and moisturecontamination. The autoclave was then heated up to 325° C., kept at thistemperature for one hour and then cooled down to room temperature. Awhite milky solution of as-synthesized zirconium oxide nanocrystals wascollected.

Zirconium n-butoxide is received as a solution in 1-butanol (80% w/w).1-butanol can be removed from the precursor before the synthesis undervacuum and/or heating (30-50° C.), during the synthesis by releasing thepressure of the autoclave when the temperature reaches around 100° C. orafter the reaction is completed. FIG. 4 is the TEM image of thenanocrystals obtained from the reaction without removing 1-butanol. Thenanocrystals are spherical in shape and around 5 nm in diameter.

An exemplary synthetic method using zirconium n-propoxide as theprecursor is as follows: 21.06 g of 70% (w/w) Zirconium (IV) n-propoxidein 1-propanol solution (containing 14.74 g or 45 mmol Zirconium (IV)n-propoxide) was mixed with 300 ml of benzyl alcohol in a glove box andthen transferred into an autoclave. The setup was sealed under Argonatmosphere to prevent oxygen and moisture contamination. The autoclavewas then heated up to 325° C., kept at this temperature for one hour andthen cooled down to room temperature. A white milky solution ofas-synthesized zirconium oxide nanocrystals was collected.

Zirconium n-propoxide is received as a solution in 1-propanol (70% w/w).1-propanol can be removed from the precursor before the synthesis undervacuum and/or upon heating (30-60° C.). It can also be removed duringthe synthesis by releasing the pressure of the autoclave when thetemperature reaches around 100° C. or it can be removed after thesynthesis. The nanocrystals obtained from the reactions where 1-propanolwas removed from the precursor before, during or after the reactionresult in around 5 nm ZrO₂ nanocrystals. These nanocrystals have thesame crystal structure as shown by the respective XRD patterns of thenanocrystals shown in FIG. 5. The nanocrystals obtained by removal of1-propanol before or during the reaction are more spherical andmonodisperse based on a comparison of the TEM images shown in FIG. 6Afor the nanocrystals obtained with removal before the reaction and FIG.6B without removal of 1-propanol.

To increase the yield of the reaction without affecting the nanocrystalquality the concentration of the precursor, such as zirconiumisopropoxide isopropanol, zirconium etoxide, zirconium n-propoxide orzirconium n-butoxide, can be increased 5-20 times without changing theamount of the solvent used.

ZrO₂ nanocrystals can be synthesized in a variety of solvents andsolvent mixtures. A change in the solvent used in the synthetic methodcan lead to a change in the surface properties of the nanocrystals and,in some cases, can cap the nanocrystals well enough that further surfacemodification in order to obtain dispersions with minimal scattering maybe unnecessary. A list of alternative solvents includes, but is notlimited to: 1-hexanol, oleyl alcohol, oleylamine, trioctylamine, andmethyl triethylene glycol. A list of alternative solvent mixturesincludes, but is not limited to: mixtures of benzyl alcohol with1-hexanol, oleyl alcohol, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether andtrioctylamine.

ZrO₂ may also be synthesized in a different manner in order to preparenanocrystals with a hydrophobic surface chemistry. This may be usefulfor applications which benefit from the use of hydrophobic solvents tocreate dispersions of nanocrystals. An example of the synthetic methodto produce ZrO₂ nanocrystals with hydrophobic surface is as follows: thesolvent for the ZrO₂ nanocrystals synthesis contains a mixture of oleylalcohol and benzyl alcohol with different volume ratios. The volumeratio of oleyl to benzyl alcohol in which the reaction is run may bechosen from the following non-limiting list of ratios: 1:3, 1:1, or pureoleyl alcohol. In a typical reaction, 3 millimole of zirconiumisopropoxide isopropanol is added to a 20 ml mixture containing 10 mlanhydrous benzyl alcohol and 10 ml oleyl alcohol in an inert atmosphere.The mixture is stirred for approximately one hour. The reaction mixtureis then added to an autoclave reactor under an inert atmosphere. Thenthe reactor is heated to 325° C. and maintained at 325° C. for 1 hourwith stirring. After cooling the nanocrystals are precipitated out ofthe solution with ethanol.

The exemplary synthetic methods described herein are carried out in anautoclave at temperatures which may be higher than the boiling point ofsome of the solvents used. This can generate pressures in the 100-900psi range, typically around 250 psi. To eliminate the high pressureswhich may normally be present in the ZrO₂ nanocrystals synthesis, asolvent or a mixture of solvents with higher boiling points may be used.One, non-limiting, example of a higher boiling point solvent is DowthermMX, a mixture of alkylated aromatics, from Dow Chemicals. Dowtherm MXcan be used alone or in combination with other solvents such as benzylalcohol. When used alone for the ZrO₂ nanocrystal synthesis, thepressure in the autoclave reactor is less than 100 psi, and typicallyless than 20 psi.

A typical example of a ZrO₂ nanocrystal synthesis carried out in amixture of benzyl alcohol and Dowtherm MX is as follows: 100 ml ofDowtherm MX, 8.13 millimoles of Zirconium Isopropoxide isopropanol and30 ml of Anhydrous Benzyl Alcohol are mixed in a 250 ml flask for 30 minwith magnetic stirrer at 500 rpm in a glove box. The mixture is thenloaded in to a 600 ml glass-lined Parr autoclave reactor. The reactorwas then sealed in the glove box. The reaction mixture is heated to 325°C. at heating rate of 10° C./min while stirring and kept at thistemperature for 1 hour with stirring. After that it was cooled to roomtemperature and a milky white suspension of ZrO₂ nanocrystals isobtained.

A typical example of the procedure for a ZrO₂ nanocrystal synthesisusing only Dowtherm MX as the solvent follows: 100 ml of Dowtherm MX ismixed with 3. 15 g of Zirconium Isopropoxide isopropanol in a 250 mlflask for 30 min at 500 rpm with magnetic stirrer in a glove box. Themixture is then loaded in to a 600 ml glass-lined Parr Reactor. Thereactor was then sealed while in the glove box, before being transferredout for the reaction. The reaction mixture is heated to 325° C. atheating rate of 10° C./Min min with stirring and kept at thistemperature for 1 hour with stirring. After that it was cooled to roomtemperature and a milky white suspension of ZrO₂ nanocrystals isobtained.

Alternatively, precursors other than zirconium (IV) isopropoxideisopropanol may be used to synthesize ZrO₂ nanocrystals in solvents witha higher boiling point than the reaction temperature, or a mixture ofthese solvents with benzyl alcohol. These alternative precursors mayinclude but are not limited to zirconium (IV) ethoxide, zirconium (IV)n-propoxide, and zirconium (IV) n-butoxide.

Synthesis of 1-5 nm ZrO₂ Nanocrystals

ZrO₂ nanocrystals can be synthesized with average diameters from 1 to 5nm, preferably 1 to 3 nm, by controlling the amount of water in thereaction mixture during the solvothermal synthesis. These smaller sizednanocrystals (1-5 nm) may be desirable for increased specific surfacearea with respect to larger (6-10 nm) nanocrystals or for use inapplications where the smaller physical size may be beneficial. Atypical example of the experimental protocol for the synthesis of thesenanocrystals is as follows: In a vial, 30 ml of benzyl alcohol and 0.08ml of water (4.44 mmol) were stirred for 1 hour and transferred into theglovebox. In the glovebox, 4.49 millimoles of zirconium (IV)isopropoxide isopropanol (Zr(OPr^(i))₄(HOPr^(i)))-, (˜1:1 water toprecursor ratio) was stirred with the benzyl alcohol solution for 4hours. The precursor was completely dissolved into the solvent and aclear solution was obtained. The reaction mixture was then transferredto an autoclave and sealed within the vessel. The reaction mixture wasthen heated at 325° C. for 1 hour (15 minutes ramp up to 250° C., 3minutes ramp up to 265° C., 3 minutes ramp up to 280° C., 3 minutes rampup to 295° C., 3 minutes ramp up to 310° C., 3 minutes ramp up to 325°C.) while stirring. After cooling to room temperature, a white slurryand a faint yellow solution were obtained. The XRD pattern of the solidmatches that of ZrO₂ and the TEM images of the nanocrystals shows thatthe particle size is around 3 nm. FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D show the TEMimages of the nanocrystals obtained from 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4 molarratio of precursor to water in the reaction mixture, respectively. FIG.7 shows that as the ratio of water to precursor increased the particlesize gets even smaller with 1:4 precursor to water ratio resulting inthe smallest average particle size (˜2 nm) among the exemplary ratios of1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and 1:4.

Zirconium alkoxide to water ratio can be in the range from 1:0.1 to 1:4,alternatively in the range of 1:0.1-1:0.2, 1:0.2-1:0.5, 1:0.5-1:1,1:1-1:1.5, 1:1.5-1:2, 1:2-1:3, or 1:3-1:4.

Alternatively ZrO₂ nanocrystals may be synthesized with averagediameters from 1 to 5 nm, preferably 1 to 3 nm, using precursors otherthan zirconium (IV) isopropoxide isopropanol. These alternativeprecursors may include zirconium (IV) ethoxide, zirconium (IV)n-propoxide, and zirconium (IV) n-butoxide.

The heating temperature and time of the exemplary synthetic routesdescribed herein for the synthesis of ZrO₂ nanocrystals can be adjustedsuch that the reaction temperature can be varied from 250-350° C. whilethe reaction time can be varied from 20 min-24 hours. Reactions carriedout at the lower end of the temperature range may require longer heatingtimes and the reactions carried out at the higher end of thistemperature range may require shorter times for a complete synthesis.

Synthesis of Titanium-Zirconium Oxide (TiO₂—ZrO₂) Nanocrystals

Metal-oxide nanocrystals containing both zirconium and titanium atomscan be synthesized by a modification of the synthetic route for ZrO₂nanocrystals. These TiO₂—ZrO₂ metal oxide nanocrystals may be used in avariety of applications which call for the mixture of chemicalproperties, physical properties, or optical properties (or somecombination therein) of ZrO₂ and TiO₂. One set of non-limiting examplesof this TiO₂—ZrO₂ synthesis involves replacing the zirconium precursorwith a mixture containing both a titanium precursor and a zirconiumprecursor in benzyl alcohol. Nanocrystals with different Ti/Zr atomicratios can be made by adjusting the titanium and zirconium precursorconcentrations with respect to each other while holding the total metalprecursor concentration constant. TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals can besynthesized in this manner with the Ti:Zr ratio taking a value from thefollowing non-limiting list: 1:3, 1:2, and 1:1.

A typical procedure for the synthesis of TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals with 1:1Ti:Zr ratio is as follows: 15 mmol of zirconium isopropoxide isopropanoland 15 mmol of titanium isopropoxide were dissolved in 30 ml anhydrousbenzyl alcohol under an inert atmosphere. The reaction mixture was thenadded to an autoclave reactor under an inert atmosphere. The reactor washeated to 300° C. and maintained at 300° C. for 1 hour with stirring.The resulting nanocrystals were precipitated out of solution withethanol. The TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals have a size of around 5 nm based onTEM images. The elemental analysis results confirmed that the Ti/Zratomic ratio in the sample was generally consistent with the atomicratio of the two precursors.

A typical procedure for the synthesis of TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals with aTi:Zr ratio of 1:2 involves the following: 20 mmol of zirconiumisopropoxide isopropanol and 10 mmol of titanium isopropoxide weredissolved in 30 ml anhydrous benzyl alcohol under an inert atmosphere.The reaction mixture was then added to an autoclave reactor under aninert atmosphere. The reactor was heated to 300° C. and maintained at300° C. for 1 hour with stirring. The resulting nanocrystals wereprecipitated out of solution with ethanol.

Alternatively the synthesis of TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals with variousvalues of x may be synthesized using a mixture of titanium and zirconiumwhich is not a mixture of zirconium isopropoxide isopropanol andtitanium isopropoxide. The mixture of zirconium and titanium precursorsmay include a zirconium precursor from a non-limiting list including:zirconium ethoxide, zirconium n-propoxide, and zirconium n-butoxide, anda titanium precursor including titanium ethoxide, titanium n-propoxide,and titanium n-butoxide.

Synthesis of Hafnium-Zirconium Oxide (HfO₂—ZrO₂) Nanocrystals

Metal-oxide nanocrystals containing both zirconium and hafnium atoms ina single nanocrystal can be synthesized. HfO₂—ZrO₂ oxide nanocrystalswith an 1:1 atomic ratio of hafnium to zirconium can be produced in aninert atmosphere by mixing 2 millimoles of hafnium isopropoxideisopropanol and 2 millimoles of zirconium chloride with 10 grams oftrioctylphosphine oxide. The reaction mixture is then heated to 100° C.,at a heating rate of 10° C./min, with vigorous stirring under an inertatmosphere. After 1 hour stirring at 100° C., trioctylphosphine oxide ismelted and the hafnium and zirconium precursors are dissolved in meltedtrioctylphosphine oxide. The solution is then rapidly heated to 350° C.,at a heating rate of 10° C./min, and kept at 350° C. for two hours. Awhite powder appeared and the solution became milky. After two hours,the reaction mixture is allowed to cool. When the reaction mixturereached 70° C., acetone is added, causing the nanocrystals toprecipitate. The resulting hafnium-zirconium oxide nanomaterial isrod-like in shape (i.e., “nanorods”).

In a further example, hafnium-zirconium oxide nanocrystals, may beprepared with a range of values for the hafnium to zirconium atomicratio. For example, nanocrystals with a Hf:Zr ratio of 1:4 can beprepared with the following: 0.8 mmol of hafnium isopropoxideisopropanol, 1.2 mmol of zirconium isopropoxide isopropanol, 2 mmol ofzirconium chloride, and 10 grams of trioctylphosphine oxide are mixedtogether in an inert atmosphere. The feeding sequence is arbitrary. Thereaction mixture is heated to 100° C., at a heating rate of 10° C./min,with vigorous stirring under an inert atmosphere. The solution is thenrapidly heated to 350° C., at a heating rate 10° C./min, and kept at350° C. for two hours. A white powder forms and the solution becomesmilky. After two hours, the reaction mixture is allowed to cool. Whenthe reaction mixture reached 70° C., acetone is added, causing theHfO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals to precipitate. The precipitate is collected bycentrifugation and the supernatant is decanted and discarded. Theredispersion-precipitation procedure is repeated 4 times. The shape ofhafnium zirconium oxide nanomaterials range from spheres to rod-like(i.e., “nanorods”).

Synthesis of Hafnium Oxide (HfO₂) Nanocrystals

Hafnium oxide nanocrystals having a size in the range of 1-10 nm aresynthesized in an inert atmosphere using a solvothermal syntheticmethod. An example of the synthetic method is as follows: a sample ofhafnium alkoxide precursor, such as, but not limited to, hafniumisopropoxide isopropanol, hafnium n-butoxide, or hafnium n-propoxide, orhafnium tert-butoxide, or hafnium acetate, or hafnium acetyl acetonate,or hafnium ethoxide, was mixed with an organic alcohol, such as, but notlimited to, benzyl alcohol or 2-methyl-1-propanol, and sealed within anautoclave. The reaction mixture was heated to 250-350° C. Once thereaction mixture reached the set temperature, the temperature wasmaintained for a set time which can range from 20 minutes to 24 hours.As-synthesized hafnium oxide nanocrystals were collected as a whitemilky suspension. FIG. 8 shows a TEM image of the as synthesized HfO₂nanocrystals which have a rice shape and are less than 10 nm in size.

A method of producing 6 g of hafnium oxide nanocrystals of the presentdisclosure includes mixing, in an inert atmosphere, a sample of 30millimoles of hafnium ethoxide, or hafnium n-butoxide, or hafniumn-propoxide, or hafnium tert-butoxide, or hafnium acetate, or hafniumacetyl acetonate, or hafnium isopropoxide isopropanol with 300milliliters of benzyl alcohol which is then transferred to an autoclave.The reaction mixture is heated at 300-350° C. for 1-2 hours, with aheating ramp rate of 10° C./min. During reaction the pressure in theautoclave is less than 500 psi (˜35 atmospheres). After the reactiontime has elapsed and the reactor is returned to room temperature, awhite milky solution of as-synthesized hafnium oxide nanocrystals iscollected. Alternatively, precursors other than hafnium (IV)isopropoxide isopropanol or hafnium ethoxide, may be used to synthesizeHfO₂ nanocrystals in solvents with a higher boiling point than thereaction temperature, or a mixture of these solvents with benzylalcohol. These alternative precursors may include but are not limited tohafnium (IV) n-propoxide, and hafnium (IV) n-butoxide.

Synthesis of 1-5 nm HfO₂ Nanocrystals

HfO₂ nanocrystals can be synthesized with diameters of 1-5 nm,preferably 1-3 nm, by controlling the amount of water in the reactionmixture during the solvothermal synthesis. These smaller sizednanocrystals may be desirable for their increased specific surface areawith respect to larger nanocrystals or for use in applications where thesmaller physical size may be beneficial. A typical example of theexperimental protocol for the addition of water in order to producehafnium oxide nanocrystals in the 1-5 nm size range follows: 30 ml ofbenzyl alcohol and 0.1 ml of water are stirred for 3 hours in a vialwhich is then transferred into the drybox. In the drybox, 4.45 millimoleof Hf(OPr^(i))₄(HOPr^(i)) (2.113 g) is stirred in the water/benzylalcohol solution overnight with 1:1 water to hafnium isopropoxide molarratio. The precursor completely dissolves into the solvent mixture. Thereaction mixture is transferred to an autoclave and sealed within thevessel. The reaction mixture is then heated to 325° C., using a heatingmantle, for 1 hour with stirring. After cooling to room temperature, awhite slurry with a faint yellow solution are obtained. FIG. 9 shows theTEM images of the nanocrystal which are 2-5 nm in size.

Alternatively, HfO₂ nanocrystals may be synthesized with diameters of1-5 nm, preferably 1-3 nm, starting from precursors other than hafniumisopropoxide isopropanol. These alternative precursors may include butare not limited to hafnium ethoxide, hafnium n-propoxide, and hafniumn-butoxide.

The effect demonstrated in FIG. 7 above and discussed above with regardto ZrO₂ nanocrystal size as a function of water to precursor ratio has asimilar effect in making HfO₂ nanocrystals where particle size getssmaller as the amount of water increases with respect to the amount ofprecursor.

Hafnium alkoxide to water ratio can be in the range from 1:0.1 to 1:4,alternatively in the range of 1:0.1-1:0.2, 1:0.2-1:0.5, 1:0.5-1:1,1:1-1:1.5, 1:1.5-1:2, 1:2-1:3, or 1:3-1:4.

The heating temperature and time of the exemplary synthetic routesdescribed herein for the synthesis of HfO₂ nanocrystals can be adjustedsuch that the reaction temperature can be varied from 250-350° C. whilethe reaction time can be varied from 20 min-24 hours. Reactions carriedout at the lower end of the temperature range may require longer heatingtimes and the reactions carried out at the higher end of thistemperature range may require shorter times.

Synthesis of Zinc Oxide (ZnO) Nanocrystals

Organosilane capped zinc oxide nanocrystals were produced as follows.2.7 grams of zinc acetate dihydrate were dissolved in 140 ml of ethanoland heated to 80° C. with stirring. Once the zinc acetate was completelydissolved and the solution turned clear, the reaction mixture was cooledin an ice-water bath. In a separate flask, a 0.72 gram sample of lithiumhydroxide monohydrate was mixed with 60 milliliters of ethanol andsonicated for 30 minutes. This lithium hydroxide/ethanol solution wasadded drop-wise, at a rate of 3 drops per second, to the zinc acetatedihydrate/ethanol solution in the ice-water bath. Once the entirelithium hydroxide/ethanol solution was added, the reaction mixture waswarmed to room temperature and stirred for 1 hour. A 0.25 gram sample ofmethoxy(triethyleneoxypropyl)trimethoxysilane was mixed with 5milliliters of ethanol and then injected into the reaction mixture. Theentire reaction mixture was stirred for 12 hours at room temperature,forming as-synthesized organosilane-capped zinc oxide nanocrystals.These nanocrystals have a spherical shape with diameters in the 3-6 nmrange.

In a further example, larger-sized (equal to or greater than 5 nm andless than 10 nm) organosilane-capped zinc oxide nanocrystals wereproduced as follows: 2.7 grams of zinc acetate dihydrate was dissolvedin 140 milliliters of ethanol and heated to 80° C. with stirring. Oncethe zinc acetate was completely dissolved and the solution turned clear,the reaction mixture was cooled in an ice-water bath. In a separateflask, a 0.72 gram sample of lithium hydroxide monohydrate was mixedwith 60 milliliters of ethanol and sonicated for 30 minutes. Thissolution was added drop-wise, at a rate of 3 drops per second, to thezinc acetate dihydrate/ethanol solution in the ice-water bath. Once theentire lithium hydroxide/ethanol solution was added, the reactionmixture was placed into a 60° C. hot water bath and stirred for 1 hour.A 0.25 gram sample of methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane wasmixed with 5 milliliters of ethanol and then injected into the reactionmixture. The entire reaction mixture was stirred for 12 hours at 60° C.,forming the as synthesized organosilane capped zinc oxide nanocrystalswith diameters equal to or grater than 5 nm and less than 10 nm.

A method of producing organosilane-capped zinc oxide nanocrystals isprovided. A 21.28 gram sample of zinc acetate dihydrate is dissolved in1080 ml of ethanol and heated to ˜80° C. with stirring. Once the zincacetate is completely dissolved and the solution turned clear, thereaction mixture is cooled in an ice-water bath. In a separate flask, a5.76 gram sample of lithium hydroxide monohydrate is mixed with 480 mlof ethanol and sonicated for 30 minutes. This solution is addeddrop-wise to the zinc acetate dihydrate/ethanol solution in theice-water bath. Once the entire lithium hydroxide/ethanol solution isadded, the reaction mixture is warmed to room temperature and stirredfor 0.5 hours. A 2.0 gram sample ofmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane is mixed with 15milliliters of ethanol and then injected into the reaction mixture. Theentire reaction mixture is stirred for 16 hours at room temperature,forming as-synthesized organosilane capped zinc oxide nanocrystals.These nanocrystals are spherical with 3-6 nm in diameter.

Alternatively, 4 times more concentrated methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane with respect to ethanol was added to the reactionmixture during the synthesis of 3-6 and 5-10 nm ZnO nanocrystals toprovided increased capping and dispersibility of the nanocrystals inpolar solvents.

ZnO nanocrystals can be synthesized by another liquid synthetic method.A typical synthesis is as follows: 50 mmol zinc acetate dihydrate wasadded to 500 ml of absolute ethanol in a flask. The zinc acetate wasdissolved completely by heating the flask in a water bath at 80° C.Separately, 200 mmol lithium hydroxide monohydrate was dissolved in 125ml methanol (or ethanol) at room temperature by vigorous stirring. TheLiOH solution was then poured into the refluxing Zn(Ac)₂ solution.Following the addition, the heat was removed and the reaction mixturewas cooled in air for 20 minutes. A transparent solution resulted. Thissolution was then re-heated to 80° C. for 30 minutes, until a whiteprecipitate formed. The precipitate is separated from the solution bycentrifuging at 4500 rpm at 4° C. for 20 minutes, and washed with THF. ATEM image of the product is shown in FIG. 10.

Alternatively, in the above reactions used to produce ZnO nanocrystals,the molar ratio of the lithium hydroxide to zinc salt can be varied inthe range from 1:1.4 to 1:4.

Alternatively, in the above reactions used to produce ZnO nanocrystals,KOH or NaOH can be used as a substitute for lithium hydroxide.

Synthesis of Yttrium Oxide (Y₂O₃) Nanocrystals

Yttrium oxide nanocrystals were produced from 1 gram of yttrium oleateand 5.96 grams of dodecylamine which were mixed together and purged withan inert gas for 10 minutes. The reaction mixture was then heated to 70°C. in 20 minutes, maintained at 70° C. for 20 minutes, then furtherheated to 259° C. in 20 minutes and maintained at 259° C. for 2 hours,with stirring under an inert atmosphere. The reaction mixture was thenallowed to cool. At 70° C., 20 ml of ethanol were added to the reactionmixture to precipitate the yttrium oxide nanocrystals.

In another example, yttrium oxide nanodisks (disk-shaped nanocrystals)with a diameter of 20 nanometers were produced from a mixture of 1 gramof yttrium oleate and 5 ml of oleylamine which were mixed and purgedwith an inert gas such as Argon for 10 minutes. The reaction mixture wasthen heated to 70° C. in 20 minutes, maintained at 70° C. for 20minutes, heated to 250° C. in 20 minutes, and finally maintained at 250°C. for 2 hours while stirring under an inert gas atmosphere. Thereaction mixture was then allowed to cool. At 70° C., 20 milliliters ofethanol was added to the reaction mixture to precipitate the yttriumoxide nanodisks.

In another example, yttrium oxide nanodisks with a diameter of 10nanometers were produced from 2 grams of yttrium oleate and 25 ml ofoleylamine which were mixed and purged with argon for 10 minutes. Thereaction mixture was then heated to 70° C. in 20 minutes, maintained at70° C. for 20 minutes, heated to 280° C. in 20 minutes, and finallymaintained at 280° C. for 2 hours while stirring under argon protection.The reaction mixture was then allowed to cool. At 70° C., 20 millilitersof ethanol was added to the reaction mixture to precipitate the yttriumoxide nanodisks.

In a further example, yttrium oxide nanodisks with a diameter of 10nanometers were produced from 2 grams of yttrium oleate and 25 ml ofoleylamine which were mixed and purged with argon for 10 minutes. Thereaction mixture was then heated to 70° C. in 20 minutes, maintained at70° C. for 20 minutes, heated to 230° C. in 20 minutes, and finallymaintained at 230° C. for 2 hours while stirring under argon protection.The reaction mixture was then allowed to cool. At 70° C., 20 millilitersof ethanol was added to the reaction mixture to precipitate out theyttrium oxide nanodisks.

In a further example, yttrium oxide nanocrystals were produced from 2.15grams of yttrium oleate and 23 grams of dodecylamine which were mixedtogether and purged with an inert gas for 10 minutes. The reactionmixture was then heated to 70° C. in 20 minutes, maintained at 70° C.for 20 minutes, then heated to 259° C. in 20 minutes and maintained at259° C. for 2 hours, with stirring under an inert atmosphere. Thereaction mixture was then allowed to cool. At 70° C., 20 milliliters ofethanol was added to the reaction mixture to precipitate the yttriumoxide nanocrystals. The product has a flake-like shape, where the flakeshave a thickness of 2 nm.

Example 2 Removing Ligands from Surface of Nanocrystals

Hydrochloric Acid Treatment of the as-synthesized HfO₂ and ZrO₂nanocrystal surface may be necessary to remove the organic moieties orcapping agents which are on the surface of the nanocrystals before anyfurther modification is possible. An exemplary method includessuspending as-synthesized or purified nanocrystals in water by stirringand adjusting the suspension to a pH of 1 using a 1 M hydrochloric acidsolution. The solution changes from a milky white suspension to atransparent solution upon the addition of hydrochloric acid. Thesolution may be stirred overnight at room temperature to allow thereaction to progress further. When the solution is added totetrahydrofuran, a white solid precipitates. After centrifugation, theprecipitate can be collected. The process of re-suspending the particlesin tetrahydrofuran and then centrifuging the mixture and collecting theprecipitate may be repeated until the pH of the supernatant is in the5-7 range.

Example 3 Cap Exchange of Nanocrystals

Cap Exchange of ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ Nanocrystals

After the synthesis of the ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals, theas-synthesized nanocrystals are transferred into a round bottom flask toperform the cap exchange. The as-produced nanocrystals may be capped bythe solvent or reaction by-products that are present during synthesis.It may be desirable to exchange the capping molecules of thenanocrystals for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:increased dispersibility in solvent or some other matrix, havingdifferent optical properties, or having different chemistry at thesurface of the nanocrystals. The cap exchange process may involvedispersing or suspending the as-synthesized nanocrystals in a solvent orreaction mixture along with a certain amount of capping agents. Thisreaction may be carried out at an elevated temperature and for a certainamount of time in order to promote cap exchange. A non-limiting list ofchoices for capping agents to perform the cap exchange on theas-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals includes:methoxytri(ethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane,2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid, 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane and other silanes, carboxylic acids and alcohols. Thecap exchange may be carried out in benzyl alcohol or other solvent ormixtures of solvents.

An exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting, cap exchange of theas-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals may be carried outusing methoxytri(ethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane as the cappingagent. The methoxytri(ethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane may beinjected into a reaction vessel (typically a round bottom flask)containing the as-synthesized nanocrystals reaction mixture. The weightratio of methoxytri(ethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane to the assynthesized nanocrystals may range from 1:5 to 3:2. Then the mixture isheated to 80-150° C. for an interval that may be as short as 10 minutesor as along as 3 hours. A typical procedure for amethoxy(triethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane cap exchange onas-synthesized nanocrystals involves the following: 1 g ofmethoxy(triethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane capping agent was added toa round bottom flask which holds the reaction mixture containing 5 g ofas-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ or TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals. During the additionof the capping agent the mixture was stirred continuously. Thesuspension was heated up to 80-150° C. and kept at that temperaturewhile continuing to stir for 10 min-1 hour. Afterwards, the reaction wasallowed to cool to room temperature.

Alternatively, another exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting capexchange of the ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals withmethoxy(triethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane as the capping agent maybe carried out on suspensions of nanocrystals other than theas-synthesized reaction mixture. Similar reactions may be carried out onsuspensions of nanocrystals including, but not limited to, suspensionscontaining: nanocrystals which have previously undergone cap-exchange,as-synthesized nanocrystals which have previously undergonepurification, nanocrystals which have had the capping agents removed byacid treatment, and nanocrystals which have been transferred todifferent solvents. Alternative solvents for cap exchange may be chosenfrom a list including, but not limited to: benzyl alcohol, propyleneglycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate(PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP), acetone,tetrahydrofuran, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water and mixtures thereof.

An exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting cap exchange of theas-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals may be carried outusing 2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as the capping agent. The2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid may be injected into a reactionvessel (typically a round bottom flask) containing the as-synthesizednanocrystals reaction mixture. The amount of2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid may be as little as 0.4 g ormay be as much as 1.5 g per gram of as-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ orTiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals. Then the mixture may either be kept at atemperature as low as 20° C. or heated as high as 50° C. for an intervalthat may be as short as 30 minutes or as along as 3 hours. A typicalprocedure for a 2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid cap exchangereaction performed on as-synthesized nanocrystals involves thefollowing: 2 g of 2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid is added to around bottom flask which holds the reaction mixture containing 5 g ofas-synthesized nanocrystals. During the addition the mixture is stirredcontinuously. The suspension is kept at room temperature whilecontinuing to stir for 1 hour.

Alternatively, another exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting capexchange of the ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals with2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid as the capping agent may becarried out on suspensions of nanocrystals other than the as-synthesizedreaction mixture. Similar reactions may be carried out on suspensions ofZrO₂, HfO₂ or TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals including, but not limited to,suspensions containing: nanocrystals which have previously undergonecap-exchange, as-synthesized nanocrystals which have previouslyundergone purification, nanocrystals which have had the capping agentsremoved by acid treatment, and nanocrystals which have been transferredto different solvents. Alternative solvents for cap-exchange reactionsmay be chosen from a list including, but not limited to: benzyl alcohol,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP),acetone, tetrahydrofuran, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, butanol,propanol, isopropanol, ethanol, water, cyclic ketones and mixturesthereof.

An exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting cap exchange of theas-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals may be carried outusing 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as the capping agent.The 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane may be injected into areaction vessel (typically a round bottom flask) containing theas-synthesized nanocrystals reaction mixture. The amount of3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane may be as little as 0.8 g ormay be as much as 1.5 g per gram of as-synthesized nanocrystals. Thenthe mixture is heated to 120° C. for an interval that may be as short as30 minutes or as along as 1 hour. A typical procedure for a3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane cap exchange performed onas-synthesized nanocrystals involves the following: 4 g of3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane is added to a round bottomflask which holds the reaction mixture containing 5 g of as-synthesizedZrO₂, HfO₂ or TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals. During the addition of the cappingagent the mixture is stirred continuously. The suspension is heated upto 120° C. and kept at that temperature while continuing to stir for 1hour. Afterwards, the reaction is allowed to cool to room temperature.

Alternatively, another exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting capexchange of the ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals with3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane as the capping agent may becarried out on suspensions of nanocrystals other than the as-synthesizedreaction mixture. Similar reactions may be carried out on suspensions ofnanocrystals including, but not limited to, suspensions containing:nanocrystals which have previously undergone cap-exchange,as-synthesized nanocrystals which have previously undergonepurification, nanocrystals which have had the capping agents removed byacid treatment, and nanocrystals which have been transferred todifferent solvents. Alternative solvents for dispersion of thenanocrystals during the cap exchange reaction may be chosen from a listincluding, but not limited to: benzyl alcohol, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP), acetone,tetrahydrofuran, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, cyclic ketones and mixtures thereof.

An exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting cap exchange of theas-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals may be carried outusing 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane andmethoxy(triethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane as capping agents. Anexemplary cap exchange reaction of ZrO₂ nanocrystals is as follows: 500mg as synthesized ZrO₂ was mixed with 25 mg 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane in 5 ml PGMEA at 100° C. for 1 hour. 150 mg ofmethoxy(triethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane is then added to thesuspension and the mixture was stirred at 100° C. for another hour. Theproduct mixture was washed with heptanes and white precipitate iscollected.

The as-produced nanocrystals of ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ may also becapped in order to facilitate dispersion in hydrophobic solvents andmatrices. An exemplary, illustrative, non-limiting cap exchange processmay involve dispersing or suspending the as-synthesized nanocrystals,along with a certain amount of capping agent or capping agents, in arelatively hydrophobic solvent, chosen from a list of solvents includingbut not limited to: naphtha, toluene, heptane, pentane, decane,chloroform. This cap exchange reaction may be carried out at roomtemperature or an elevated temperature and for an amount of time rangingfrom a few minutes to days in order to promote cap exchange. A list ofchoices for capping agents that may make the surface of theas-synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals more compatiblewith hydrophobic solvents and media includes, but is not limited to:stearic acid, oleic acid, and octadecyltrimethoxysilane. In a typicalreaction: 2 g oleic acid is added to a suspension containing 2 g ofas-synthesized nanocrystals in 20 ml of toluene. During and after theaddition of the capping agent the mixture is continuously stirred. Thereaction mixture is allowed to react for between several minutes andseveral hours before purification is then carried out.

Exemplary illustrative non-limiting cap exchange of the as-synthesizedZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals may be carried out usingmethoxypoly(ethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane as capping agent.Alternatively, the cap exchange of the ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂nanocrystals with methoxypoly(ethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane as thecapping agent may be carried out on suspensions of nanocrystals otherthan the as-synthesized reaction mixture. Similar reactions may becarried out on suspensions of nanocrystals including, but not limitedto, suspensions containing: nanocrystals which have previously undergonecap-exchange, as-synthesized nanocrystals which have previouslyundergone purification, nanocrystals which have had the capping agentsremoved by acid treatment, and nanocrystals which have been transferredto different solvents. Alternative solvents for dispersion of thenanocrystals during the cap exchange reaction may be chosen from a listincluding, but not limited to: benzyl alcohol, propylene glycolmonomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA),ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP), acetone,tetrahydrofuran, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, butanol, propanol,isopropanol, ethanol, water, cyclic ketones and mixtures thereof.

Cap-Exchange of Yttrium Oxide Nanocrystals

As an illustrative non-limiting example organosilane capped yttriumoxide nanocrystals can be produced via a cap exchange process involvingas synthesized yttrium oxide nanocrystals andmethoxy(triethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane. As-produced yttrium oxidenanocrystals and methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane weremixed together in tetrahydrofuran. The mixture was then heated to 200°C. for 2-4 hours inside an autoclave. After the reaction time expiredthe mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature.

Alternatively the cap exchange process may be carried of otherorganosilanes, organocarboxylic acids and organoalcohols. Similarreactions may be carried out on suspensions of nanocrystals including,but not limited to, suspensions containing: nanocrystals which havepreviously undergone cap-exchange, as-synthesized nanocrystals whichhave previously undergone purification, nanocrystals which have had thecapping agents removed by acid treatment, and nanocrystals which havebeen transferred to different solvents. Alternative solvents fordispersion of the nanocrystals during the cap exchange reaction may bechosen from a list including, but not limited to: benzyl alcohol,propylene glycol monomethyl ether (PGME), propylene glycol methyl etheracetate (PGMEA), ethyl lactate (EL), and 2-propoxy-propanol (PnP),acetone, phenol, oleyl alcohol, toluene, butanol, propanol, isopropanol,ethanol, water, cyclic ketones and mixtures thereof.

Cap-Exchange of ZnO Nanocrystals

When the ZnO nanocrystals are synthesized without the addition of acapping agent during the synthesis, they can be capped after thesynthesis is complete with 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane,methoxytri(ethelyneoxy)propyltrimethoxy silane,2,2,2-methyoxyethyoxyethyoxy-acetic acid or a combination of thesematerials. The capping with 2,2,2-methyoxyethyoxyethyoxy-acetic acid canbe carried out at room temperature or with the aid of sonication orheating of the suspension to 80° C. or with a combination of bothheating and sonication. A typical method is as follows: After thesynthesis 4 g of as-synthesized precipitate is re-dispersed in PGMEA ina round bottom flask. To this suspension 2 g of2,2,2-methyoxyethyoxyethyoxy-acetic acid is added while stirring. Thesuspension is then exposed to brief (<1 minute) sonication to aid in thecapping reaction. The capped nanocrystals are then precipitated out withTHF and heptane, with the 1:1:3 volume ratio of nanocrystal:THF:heptane.The precipitates are collected by centrifugation at 6500 rpm.

Example 4 Purifying Nanocrystals

As-Synthesized ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ Nanocrystals

The as synthesized white milky nanocrystal suspension collected afterthe autoclave synthesis of the ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ nanocrystals canbe purified. An exemplary method includes mixing the suspensions ofnanocrystals with ethanol and centrifuging (8000 rpm for 30 minutes) toseparate the nanocrystals. After decanting and discarding thesupernatant, a white precipitate is collected. The wet nanocrystals aresuspended in additional ethanol by sonication, stirring or shaking andsuspension is centrifuged again. These resuspension steps, which consistof ethanol addition, centrifugation and collection of the resultantpowder are repeated as many as 4 more times to obtain purifiednanocrystals.

ZrO₂ Nanocrystals with Hydrophobic Surface

To purify the nanocrystals they are dispersed in hexane, and thenprecipitated out using ethanol as the antisolvent. The resultant mixtureis then centrifuged and the nanocrystals are collected. Thispurification process is repeated three times to get nanocrystals thatare easily dispersible into hydrophobic solvents such as naphtha andheptane.

ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂ Nanocrystals

After synthesis, capping and or cap exchange, ZrO₂, HfO₂ and TiO₂—ZrO₂nanocrystals may be purified or further purified. One exemplarypurification of the nanocrystals after being synthesized in benzylalcohol or mixture of benzyl alcohol with other solvents may include:addition of THF to the reactions mixture in a 2:1 volume ratio of THF tothe reaction mixture followed by addition of heptane in a 7-9 to 1volume ratio of heptane to the reaction mixture. The reaction ofnanocrystal suspension to THF to heptane may be adjusted based on thenanocrystal concentration in the suspension. This causes theprecipitation of the nanocrystals which are then centrifuged. Aftercentrifugation and the decanting of the supernatant, additional amountsof THF or PGMEA is added to disperse the nanocrystals followed byaddition of heptane. Heptane to THF or PGMEA ratio may be 2:1 or 3:1.Cycles of sonication, centrifugation and decantation is repeated 2-5times to purify the nanocrystals.

ZnO Nanocrystals

As-synthesized, capped and/or cap-exchanged zinc oxide nanocrystals maybe purified or further purified to obtain an optically clear suspensionin a polar solvent. This process removes at least part of the by-productof the synthesis or cap exchange reactions. An exemplary method ofpurifying the ZnO nanocrystals is as follows: A suspension of 200 mlzinc oxide nanocrystals in ethanol (1 g ZnO) is mixed with 400-500milliliters of heptane to form a white precipitate which is collected bycentrifugation, followed by decanting and discarding the supernatant. Asample of 20-60 milliliters of ethanol is then used to redisperse thewhite precipitate into solution with 5 minutes of ultrasonication, and asample of 40-50 milliliters of heptane was used again to precipitate theproduct. After collecting the white precipitate by centrifugation, thedecanting and discarding of the supernatant was repeated for a secondtime. The ethanol redispersion/heptane precipitation procedure wasrepeated twice more to obtain a purified nanocrystals.

In a further example, capped zinc oxide nanocrystals were purified toobtain re-dispersable dry powders. A suspension of 200 ml organosilanecapped zinc oxide nanocrystals in ethanol (1 g ZnO) was mixed with400-500 ml of heptane to form a white precipitate. This whiteprecipitate was collected by centrifugation, followed by the decantingand discarding of the supernatant. A sample of 20 ml of ethanol was thenused to redisperse the white solid, with the aid of 5 minutes ofultrasonication. 40-50 ml of heptane was used to once again precipitatethe product. After collecting the white precipitate by centrifugation,and decanting and discarding the supernatant for a second time, theethanol redispersion/heptane precipitation procedure was repeated,preferably, twice more. A sample of 5 ml of pentane was then added tothe washed organosilane capped ZnO nanocrystals and ultrasonicated for 5minutes. The resulting mixture was then centrifuged again and theprecipitate was again collected. After discarding the supernatant, thesolid was dried in air or under vacuum, resulting in a dry whiteprecipitate which is a ZnO nanocrystalline powder.

Another method of purifying the as-synthesized organosilane capped zincoxide nanocrystals to obtain an optically clear suspension in a polarsolvent is provided. When 1.6 L of the as prepared organosilane cappedzinc oxide nanocrystal/ethanol suspension, containing >8 g ZnO, is mixedwith 3.2-4.0 L of heptane, a white precipitate forms. This whiteprecipitate is collected by centrifugation, followed by the decantingand discarding of the supernatant. A sample of 60 ml of ethanol is thenused to redisperse the white precipitate with the aid of 5 minutes ofultrasonication. 120-150 ml of heptane are used again to precipitate theproduct. After collecting the white precipitate by centrifugation,followed by decanting and discarding the supernatant for a second time,˜8 g of organosilane capped ZnO nanocrystals are obtained. To achieveeven higher purity the ethanol redispersion/heptane precipitationprocedure is repeated twice more resulting in a white precipitate.

Y₂O₃ Nanocrystals

The purification of as-synthesized Y₂O₃ nanocrystals may involve thefollowing: As-synthesized reaction mixture was precipitated withaddition of 4:1 volume percent ethanol to the reaction mixture. Thesuspension was centrifuged at 9000 rpm for 20 minutes and afterwards thesupernatant was decanted and discarded while the precipitate wascollected. This precipitate was then suspended in 2 ml of chloroform viasonication (>1 minute) and re-precipitated by the addition of 2 ml ofethanol. The suspension was centrifuged at 9000 rpm for 30 minutes,after which the supernatant was again decanted and discarded while theprecipitate was collected. The precipitate was dispersed in 3 ml ofhexane via sonication (>2 minutes) and re-precipitated with 2 ml ofethanol, where the supernatant was decanted and discarded while theprecipitate was collected. The redispersion-precipitation procedureusing hexane and ethanol was repeated once more. After this purificationprocedure, the yttrium oxide nanocrystals can be dispersed into a numberof solvents, such as chloroform, hexane, toluene and tetrahydrofuran.

The purification of the Y₂O₃ nanocrystals after the cap exchangereaction may involve the following: The nanocrystals were precipitatedwith pentane and centrifuged at 9000 rpm for 20 minutes. The precipitatewas re-dispersed in tetrahydrofuran, precipitated with hexane andcentrifuged at 9000 rpm for 20 minutes to remove the excess cappingagent and by-products. The precipitate can be dispersed into a varietyof solvents, such as tetrahydrofuran, chloroform and toluene andmixtures of solvents such as hexane and ethanol.

Example 5 Nanocomposite Formation

Formation of Nanocomposites Suspensions and Nanocomposite Layers fromCapped ZnO Nanocrystals and Polymers

Capped and purified ZnO nanocrystals, in the form of a white precipitateor nanocrystalline powders, may be dispersed in a number of polarsolvents, including, but not limited to, tetrahydrofuran, ethanol,methanol, acetonitrile, PGMEA, PGME, PGPE, ethyl lactate, cyclic ketonesand acetone, to form optically transparent suspensions. These opticallytransparent suspensions can be mixed with various polymer solutions toform uniformly dispersed ZnO/polymer nanocomposites using solventmixing. The dispersion solvent for the nanocrystals may be selectedbased on the chemical compatibility of the capping agent and thepolymer. A solvent system that is suitable for dispersing both thenanocrystals and the polymer is preferred. To form the compositesolution in the desired nanocrystal to polymer ratio, the nanocrystalsthat are dispersed in the selected solvent are mixed with a separatelyprepared solution of the polymer preferably in the same solvent or adifferent solvent, or a combination of solvents compatible with theselected solvent. These polymers include, but are not limited to, PMMA,JSR topcoat, JSR Micro (CA) brand acrylate based photoresists, Honeywellspin-on glass polymers (silicon based polymer, from Honeywell ElectronicMaterials, CA), PEO (polyethylene oxide), epoxy resins, silicones, andepoxy resins.

An exemplary method of forming a nanocomposite suspension providesmixing a sample of 38 milligrams of purified capped ZnO nanocrystalpowder with 0.5 grams of Honeywell Electronic Material (HEM)Spin-on-Glass (SOG) polymer/ethanol solution (HW SOG, solid content is1-5% by weight). This mixture was ultrasonicated for 30 minutes,resulting in an optically transparent suspension.

Similarly, highly transparent films were obtained with epoxy or acrylicpolymers or spin-on-glasses and ZrO₂ nanocrystals with 5 nm averagesize. The nanocrystal weight loading can be varied from 0.01 to 90percent, resulting in an optically transparent suspensions and films.

A suspension of capped ZnO nanocrystals with average particle size of 3to 4 nm mixed with SOG in ethanol was used to prepare a nanocompositefilm by spin-coating the suspension on a 2 inch quartz disc at a spinrate of 500 rpm to determine the film uniformity of the resultingnanocomposite. UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to measure the opticaldensity (OD) of the film at different spots along 3 radial directions.The center of the disc was marked as 0 mm and measurements were taken at0, 3, 5, 8, 12, 16, and 20 mm from the center. The exciton peak showed amaximum at 330 nm and the deviation in the OD at 330 nm was less than2.0% for all the measurement.

The suspension of capped ZnO nanocrystals mixed with SOG in ethanol wasalso used to spin-coat a film on three 1″ quartz discs at 300, 500 and700 rpm respectively. These films were baked at 80° C. for 1 minute inair in order to remove residual ethanol. The resultant films werevisually transparent with no apparent haze or opaqueness. The nominalloading of ZnO nanocrystals in the SOG polymer nanocomposite wasmeasured to be 72.0% by weight, as calculated from the nanocompositecomposition. FIG. 11 shows the UV-Vis spectra of the resulting films.These nanocomposite films all have a band gap maximum at around 330 nmwavelength corresponding to the exciton peak of ZnO. As the spin rate atwhich the film was cast increased from 300 rpm to 700 rpm, the opticaldensity (OD) of the films decreased due to the decreasing filmthickness. The nanocomposite films are highly transparent at visiblewavelengths, as indicated by the lack of scattering above 350 nm andsharp exciton peaks in the UV-Vis spectra.

A method of forming a nanocomposite includes solvent mixing purifiedcapped zinc oxide nanocrystals of the present disclosure with PMMA intetrahydrofuran. The purified capped ZnO nanocrystals were dispersed intetrahydrofuran and then mixed with a PMMA/THF solution. FIG. 12 showsthe TEM of the nanocomposite that was spin coated on a Cu TEM grid. Thescale bar on the TEM image is 10 nm and the 4-5 nm capped ZnOnanocrystals are uniformly dispersed into the PMMA matrix withoutforming any aggregates. The inset shows a close-up of a singlenanocrystal in the nanocomposite.

The organosilane capped ZnO nanocrystals dispersed in PMMA/THF solutionwas used to prepare a nanocomposite film by spin-coating on a 2 inchsilicon wafer at a spin rate of 500 rpm. The film thickness measurementswere done by Dektak profilometer. For this measurement periodicscratches were made on the film to determine the film thickness. A 1 mmdistance was measured showing a uniform film thickness of ˜300 nm with athickness variation of <3% over this range.

Another example of a method of forming a nanocomposite of the presentdisclosure includes dispersing purified capped zinc oxide nanocrystalsof the present disclosure with an epoxy polymer in tetrahydrofuran. 500mg of as-purified organosilane capped ZnO nanocrystals were dispersedinto 2 ml tetrahydrofuran and mixed with 1.5 g epoxy, EPON™ Resin 862(Diglycidyl Ether of Bisphenol F) which is a low viscosity, liquid epoxyresin and 0.3 g Epikure™ W (Epikure W is an aromatic diamine curingagent for epoxy resin) curing agent. The mixture was transferred into amold and cured for 12 hours, and then post-cured at 150° C. for 3 hours.

Another example of a method of forming a nanocomposite of the presentdisclosure includes mixing resin EPON 862 and curing agent W (or curingagent 3295) by hand using a weight ratio of 5:1. To this mixture ZnO orZrO₂ capped with methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane is thenadded. The weight ratio of the nanocrystals to the epoxy mixture can berange from 1:1000 to 10:1. A small amount of THF (no more than 200 wt %of the composite mixture) was added to reduce the viscosity of thenanocrystal/epoxy resin mixture. The mixture is then sonicated eitherinside a sonication bath or using a Hielscher UP200S sonication probefor less than five minutes. After sonication, the composite mixture (2gram to 4 grams) was then poured into an aluminum pan (4 cm diameter),which acted as a mold. The loaded pan was and placed inside a vacuumoven. Vacuum was applied in order to remove the THF and air bubbles. Theoven was then heated to 80° C. for overnight (>10 hr) under vacuum. Theresulting composite was post cured at 150° C. for another 3 hours beforeit was removed from the vacuum oven.

Another example of a method of forming a nanocomposite of the presentdisclosure may be as follows: epoxy resin EPON 862 and curing agent 3274were pre-mixed by hand using weight ratio of 10:4.3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane capped ZrO₂ nanocrystals arethen added into the epoxy resin at loading levels between 0.01-99.99 wt%. A small amount of acetone (no more than 200 wt % of the compositemixture) was added to reduce the viscosity of the nanocrystal/epoxyresin mixture. The mixture is then sonicated either inside a sonicationbath or using a Hielscher UP200S sonication probe for less than fiveminutes. The mixed composite mixture (2 gram to 4 grams) was then pouredinto an aluminum pan (4 cm diameter), which acted as a mold. The loadedpan was then placed inside a vacuum oven. Vacuum was applied to removethe acetone and air bubbles. The resulting composite was cured at roomtemperature for 24 hours before it was removed from the vacuum oven.

For spin coating 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane cappednanoparticle/epoxy composite films, a typical protocol is described asfollows: epoxy resin EPON 862 and curing agent 3274 were pre-mixed byhand using weight ratio of 10:4. The desired amount of cappednanocrystals is then added into the epoxy resin at loading levelsbetween 1-99.99 wt %. Acetone was added to prepare a spin solution withan appropriate solid content (ranging from 10 wt % to 50 wt %). Themixture is then sonicated inside a sonication bath for 5 minutes. Thesolution can then be used directly for spin-coating. By varying thespin-rate different film thicknesses ranging from several hundrednanometers to several micrometers may be achieved.

Another example of forming a nanocomposite of the present disclosureincludes solvent mixing of purified capped zinc oxide nanocrystals ofthe present disclosure with a photoresist from JSR Micro Inc. Theas-purified capped ZnO nanocrystals were dispersed into PGMEA to form aclear suspension and JSR photoresist solution is mixed with thissuspension. The resultant suspension forms a nanocomposite film afterspin coating on a surface.

In a further example, a nanocomposite of the present disclosure isformed by solvent mixing purified capped zinc oxide nanocrystals of thepresent disclosure with a topcoat polymer from JSR Micro Inc. Theas-purified organosilane capped ZnO nanocrystals were dispersed in4-methyl-2-pentanol which was also the solvent in the JSR topcoatpolymer solution. The nanocrystal suspension was mixed with the topcoatsolution to form a dispersion which can be used to form a nanocompositefilm by spin-coating on a surface.

The method of the disclosure includes dispersing the purified cappedzinc oxide nanocrystals in water. The as-purified capped ZnOnanocrystals were dispersed into water by mixing the wet precipitate ofZnO after purification and water to form a clear suspension bysonication. This suspension was mixed with JSR aqueous topcoat solution(NFC 545-34).

In a further example, a nanocomposite of the present disclosure isformed by dispersing methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilanecapped HfO₂ nanocrystals in ethanol to form a suspension and mixing thissuspension with a SOG/ethanol solution. FIG. 13 shows the TEM images ofthe nanocomposite prepared by spin coating the suspension on a Cu TEMgrid. The figure inset shows a close up of the nanocrystals. Theseimages show that the 4-5 nm rice-shaped HfO₂ nanocrystals were uniformlydispersed in the SOG matrix with no visible aggregate formation.

A further example of forming a nanocomposite of the disclosure involvesdispersing methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane capped ZrO₂nanocrystals of the disclosure and an acrylate based polymer in amixture of PGMEA and PGME to form a nanocomposite suspension. Films ofthis suspension are made by spin coating on quartz discs and siliconwafers. The loading of the nanocrystals in the polymer matrix is up to80 wt %. The films are made after the nanocomposite suspension isfiltered through a 200 nm filter. FIG. 14 shows the AFM image indicatingthe surface roughness of a nanocomposite film prepared by spin coatingthe suspension on a quartz disc. The Root Mean Square (RMS) roughnessvalue for this film was 0.521 nm.

In-Situ Polymerization

Nanocomposite of ZrO₂ nanocrystals and polymethyl methacrylate can beprepared by in-situ polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) andnanocrystals which are at least partially capped with3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane. A typical synthesis protocolof the nanocomposite is described as follows: 500 mg MMA and 2 mg AIBNare dissolved in 9 g toluene and the solution is heated to 100° C. 0.5 gof ZrO₂ nanocrystals capped with a mixture of both3-(methacryloyloxy)propyl trimethoxysilane andmethoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyltrimethoxysilane is dispersed in 1 g ofTHF. This dispersion is added into the MMA/toluene solution drop-wise.The mixture was maintained at 100° C. for 16 h. The reaction mixture isslightly cloudy. The resulting precipitate is collected by anti-solventprecipitation using methanol. The precipitate is then redispersed intoTHF to form a 12 wt % dispersion. Approximately 38 wt % of the solidcontent of this dispersion is from the capping agents and the PMMAaccording to thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of the product.

Another example of nanocomposite formed by in situ polymerization ofZrO₂ nanocrystals and polymethyl methacrylate is as follows: 9 g oftoluene is heated to 100° C. 0.5 g 3-(methacryloyloxy)propyltrimethoxysilane and methoxytri(ethyleneoxy)propyl trimethoxysilanecapped ZrO₂ nanocrystals, 0.5 g MMA and 2 mg AIBN are added to 1 g THF.This mixture is added into the hot toluene drop-wise. The mixture wasmaintained at 100° C. for 16 h, after which the reaction mixture isslightly cloudy. The resulting nanocomposite is collected byanti-solvent precipitation using methanol. The precipitate is thenredispersed into THF to form a 5 wt % dispersion. Approximately 31 wt %of the solid content of this dispersion is due to the capping agents andthe PMMA according to TGA of the product.

We claim:
 1. A zirconia nanocrystal dispersion comprising a dispersionsolvent, said dispersion having a minimum transmittance of larger than20% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length in thewavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains 10%by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent, said zirconiananocrystals of the dispersion comprising at least one capping agent,and wherein the dispersion has a free capping agent concentration below8,000 micrograms/ml as measured by GC.
 2. The dispersion of claim 1wherein the minimum transmittance is larger than 25% when measured in acuvette with a 10 mm path length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to750 nm when the dispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in thedispersion solvent
 3. The dispersion of claim 1 wherein the minimumtransmittance is larger than 30% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mmpath length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when thedispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent4. The dispersion of claim 1 wherein the minimum transmittance is largerthan 40% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length in thewavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains 10%by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 5. The dispersion ofclaim 1 wherein the minimum transmittance is larger than 50% whenmeasured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains 10% by weightnanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 6. The dispersion of claim 1wherein the minimum transmittance is larger than 60% when measured in acuvette with a 10 mm path length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to750 nm when the dispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in thedispersion solvent
 7. The dispersion of claim 1 wherein the minimumtransmittance is larger than 70% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mmpath length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when thedispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent8. The dispersion of claim 1 wherein the minimum transmittance is largerthan 80% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length in thewavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains 10%by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 9. The dispersion ofclaim 1 wherein the minimum transmittance is larger than 90% whenmeasured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains 10% by weightnanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 10. The dispersion of claim 1wherein the minimum transmittance of the dispersion is stable for morethan three weeks when stored at room temperature.
 11. The dispersion ofclaim 1 wherein the free capping agent concentration is below 1500micrograms/ml as measured by GC
 12. The dispersion of claim 11 whereinthe minimum transmittance is larger than 25% when measured in a cuvettewith a 10 mm path length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nmwhen the dispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in thedispersion solvent
 13. The dispersion of claim 11 wherein the minimumtransmittance is larger than 30% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mmpath length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when thedispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent14. The dispersion of claim 11 wherein the minimum transmittance islarger than 40% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length inthe wavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains10% by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 15. The dispersionof claim 11 wherein the minimum transmittance is larger than 50% whenmeasured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains 10% by weightnanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 16. The dispersion of claim 11wherein the minimum transmittance is larger than 60% when measured in acuvette with a 10 mm path length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to750 nm when the dispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in thedispersion solvent
 17. The dispersion of claim 11 wherein the minimumtransmittance is larger than 70% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mmpath length in the wavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when thedispersion contains 10% by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent18. The dispersion of claim 11 wherein the minimum transmittance islarger than 80% when measured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length inthe wavelength region from 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains10% by weight nanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 19. The dispersionof claim 11 wherein the minimum transmittance is larger than 90% whenmeasured in a cuvette with a 10 mm path length in the wavelength regionfrom 400 nm to 750 nm when the dispersion contains 10% by weightnanocrystals in the dispersion solvent
 20. The dispersion of claim 11wherein the minimum transmittance of the dispersion is stable for morethan three weeks when stored at room temperature.